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1  HUDSON-FULTON 

CELEBRATION 

1609-1807-1909 

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STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 

EDUCATION  DEPARTMENT 

1909 

Avery  Architectural  and  Fine  Arts  Library 
Gift  of  Seymour  B.  Durst  Old  York  Library 


STATE  OF  NEW  YORK 


EDUCATION  DEPARTMENT 


idson-Fulton  Celebration 


September  25  to  October  9,  1909 


A  BROCHURE  FOR  THE  USE  OF  THE  SCHOOLS  OF  THE 
STATE  COMPILED  AND  EDITED  BY  HARLAN  HOYT  HORNER 


HENRY  HUDSON'S  COAT  OF  ARMS 


ALBANY 

NEW  YORK  STATE  EDUCATION  DEPARTMENT 
1909 


THE  HUDSONUFULTON  CELEBRATION 

BY  THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION 
J* 

THE  State  of  New  York  is  arranging  an  elaborate  celebration 
in  honor   of  the  Hudson  river  and  of  the  great  events 
associated  with  its  waters  and  its  shores.     The  celebra^ 
tion  will  begin  on  the  25th  of  September,  1909,  and  continue  at  different 
points  and  with  varying  features  to  the  9th  of  October.  Wednesday, 
September  29th,  will  be  the  Educational  day  of  the  celebration. 

The  time  chosen  is  the  three  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  first 
exploration  of  the  river  by  Captain  Henry  Hudson,  in  the  little 
sailing  ship  "  Half  Moon,"  sent  out  by  the  good  people  of  Holland. 
It  is  a  little  more  than  a  hundred  years  from  the  time  when  Robert 
Fulton,  in  the  "  Clermont,"  proved  that  steam  power  might  be  relied 
upon  to  propel  boats. 

The  Hudson  river  has  borne  many  names.  Some  of  the  Indians 
called  it  "  Mah-i^can^tuk,"  which  meant  "  the  place  of  the 
Mohicans";  and  others,  "  Ca-ho-ha-ta-tea,"  or  "river  that  flows  from 
the  mountains."  The  Dutch  named  it  the  "  Mauritius "  in  honor 
of  Prince  Maurice,  the  great  son  and  successor  of  William  the  Silent. 
The  French  called  it  "  La  Grande  river,"  and  the  Spanish,  the 
"  I^iver  of  the  Mountains."  The  English  more  ofien  gave  it  the  name 
of  the  "  North  river"  (the  Delaware  being  the  South  river),  and  by 
that  name  it  is  frequently  called  now.  But  the  popular  sense  of 
justice  came  to  call  it  "  Hudson's  river,"  and  that  finally  settled 
down  to  the  "  Hudson  river."  The  common  fairness  has  now  been 
confirmed  by  many  laws. 

None  of  its  great  names  has  been  too  good  for  it.  It  is  a  splendid, 
deep,  free-flowing  stream.  It  is  the  outlet  of  great  mountains  and 
magnificent  valleys.  It  has  tides  all  the  way  to  Albany.  It  is 
bordered  by  beautiful  slopes  and  stately  peaks ;  by  the  Palisades,  a 
great  stone  wall  fifteen  miles  in  length;  and  by  thrifty  cities  and 
splendid  residences  as  well.  In  picturesqueness,  in  always  changing, 
and  quickly  changing,  views,  it  is  hardly  equaled  by  any  other  river 
in  America,  or  in  the  world. 

It  is  a  river  which  has  long  been  useful  and  dear  to  a  great  and 
prosperous  civilization.  Although  Hudson  sailed  for  the  Dutch,  he 
first  made  known  his  discovery  to  the  English ;  and  although  the 
English  king  required  him,  an  English  subject,  not  to  leave  the  English 
service  again,  the  Dutch  were  the  first  to  establish  trading  posts  and 


settlements  upon  the  Hudson  river.  The  Dutch  were  a  little  people, 
but  in  some  things  they  were  greater  than  the  largest.  In  manu' 
factures  and  trade  upon  the  seas,  in  fighting  power,  and  in  schools 
of  all  grades  and  kinds,  they  were  then  the  foremost  nation  in  the 
world.  They  had  just  had  a  forty  years'  war  and  had  laid  down 
a  hundred  thousand  lives  for  liberty.  It  had  made  them  the  freest 
nation  in  the  world.  Of  course,  they  brought  their  personal  traits 
and  their  national  feeling  to  the  Hudson.  For  full  fifty  years  those 
traits  and  feelings  had  their  free  opportunity  in  "  New  Amsterdam " 
and  "  New  Netherland " ;  and  of  course  they  have  a  large  share 
in  the  foundational  history  of  the  State  of  New  York. 

Just  as  Hudson  was  exploring,  and  Dutch  settlers  were  beginning 
to  locate  upon  the  Hudson  river,  our  Pilgrim  forefathers  were  hunted 
out  of  England  by  religious  bigotry.  They  were  welcomed  in  Holland. 
A  dozen  years  later  they  migrated  to  America,  intending  to  settle 
upon  the  Hudson,  but  were  landed  upon  the  Massachusetts  coast 
by  reason  of  bad  weather,  or  the  captain's  fraud.  The  Pilgrims 
and  the  Dutch  had  common  feelings  and  cordial  relations.  Neither 
had  any  love  for  the  king  and  the  Royalists  in  England,  who  in  1664 
sent  an  armed  fleet  and  took  possession  of  New  Amsterdam  and 
called  it  New  York.  In  the  meantime,  twenty  or  thirty  thousand 
English  Puritans,  and  some  Royalists,  had  settled  in  New  England. 
A  few  had  come  over  into  New  York.  They  were  upright,  religious, 
intolerant,  autocratic,  aggressive  people.  The  English  knew  much, 
very  much  for  their  day,  about  human  rights.  They  had  fought 
for  their  rights  within  as  well  as  without  the  kingdom.  They  had 
set  limits  to  the  power  of  the  king.  They  brought  "  Magna  Charta" 
and  a  good  system  of  laws  and  of  courts  to  America  with  them. 
They  were  divided  among  themselves,  and  had,  the  Royalists 
particularly,  much  friction  with  the  Dutch.  But  by  the  time 
the  English  Puritans  and  the  Dutch  had  combined  their  forces  and 
overwhelmed  the  English  government  in  the  American  War  for 
Independence,  and  by  the  time  they  had  forced  the  British  armies 
to  surrender,  and  had  driven  the  Royalists  or  "  Tories "  out  of  the 
country,  they  were  fused  into  a  united  people.  They  had  learned 
to  tolerate  each  other,  and  to  tolerate  other  people  also.  They 
welcomed  people  from  all  the  nations.  Working  together,  they 
became  generous- minded  and  made  the  great  qualities  of  each  even 
greater  than  they  were  before.  Out  of  it  all  came  the  "  Empire 
State  "  and  other  great  states  and  the  great  Union  of  the  states. 

4 


All  this  and  much  more,  in  infinite  detail,  is  associated  with  the 
valley  of  the  Hudson  river,  and  must  be  made  much  of  in  our 
celebration.  There  is  not  a  point  upon  the  river,  not  a  stream  or 
a  valley  that  leads  into  it,  not  a  peak  that  looks  down  upon  it,  that 
is  without  its  legend  and  its  story.  War,  with  its  horrors  and  its 
heroisms,  has  had  a  large  part  in  it.  Treason  left  its  stain  upon  it. 
Learning,  literature,  the  arts  and  sciences,  agriculture,  manufactures, 
banking,  law,  politics,  statesmanship,  have  run  as  freely  in  the  Hudson 
valley  as  the  ever- flowing  waters  of  the  river. 

The  first  school  in  the  United  States ;  the  first  federal  Congress ; 
the  initial  and  the  decisive  battles  of  the  Revolution ;  and  the  approval 
of  the  federal  Constitution  were  in  sight  of  it.  The  convention  that 
framed  the  first  state  Constitution  of  New  York  was  forced  by  the 
British  army  up  the  river  from  New  York  to  White  Plains,  then  to 
Harlem,  then  to  Kingsbridge,  then  to  OdelTs  in  the  Philipse  Manor, 
then  to  Fishkill,  then  to  Poughkeepsie,  and  then  to  Kingston,  where, 
with  the  scales  of  justice  in  one  hand  and  the  drawn  sword  in  the 
other,  on  Sunday,  April  20,  1777,  it  completed  its  splendid  work, 
only  to  have  advancing  war  at  once  compel  it  to  move  again. 

Let  us  think  of  what  the  names  of  Clinton,  Tompkins,  Yates, 
Woodhull,  Gansevoort,  Schuyler,  Tallmadge,  Root,  Scott,  Livingston. 
Duane,  VanCortlandt,  VanRensselaer,  particularly  Hamilton  and  Jay, 
and  a  host  of  others,  signify  in  the  early  history  of  the  Hudson :  let  us 
think  of  the  teachers,  and  preachers,  and  scholars,  and  writers,  who 
have  wrought  upon  its  shores :  let  us  enter  into  the  enlightened 
policy  of  the  State  which  long  ago  made  it  the  greatest  highway 
of  travel  and  commerce  in  the  country,  and  let  us  have  a  share  in 
the  new  purpose  that  such  it  shall  remain  forever . 

The  schools  may  do  more  than  any  other  agencies  to  put  red 
blood  and  a  true  spirit  into  the  coming  celebration.  New  York 
has  never  been  very  generously  treated  —  it  has  sometimes  been 
badly  treated  —  by  the  professional  writers  of  American  history. 
Let  us  enter  in  no  haphazard  or  half-hearted  way  into  a  great 
celebration  which  is  being  arranged  to  arouse  a  keener  appreciation 
of  the  doings  of  our  fathers.  Let  the  pupils  read  much  of  the 
history  which  makes  the  Empire  State  so  great.  Let  them  write 
upon  it.  Let  the  exercises  upon  the  29th  of  September  be  public 
and  popular,  the  worthy  expression  of  a  fine  school  system,  and  the 
vital  inspiration  of  a  yet  greater  State. 


5 


HENRY  HUDSON'S  QUEST 

(1609) 

OUT  from  the  harbor  of  Amsterdam 
The  Half  Moon  turned  her  prow  to  sea  ; 
The  coast  of  Norway  dropped  behind, 

Yet  northward  still  kept  she 
Through  the  drifting  fog  and  the  driving  snow, 
Where  never  before  man  dared  to  go  : 
"O  Pilot,  shall  we  find  the  strait  that  leads  to  the  Eastern  sea?" 
"A  waste  of  ice  before  us  lies  —  we  must  turn  back,"  said  he. 

Westward  they  steered  their  tiny  bark, 

Westward  through  weary  weeks  they  sped, 
Till  the  cold  gray  strand  of  a  stranger- land 

Loomed  through  the  mist  ahead. 
League  after  league  they  hugged  the  coast, 
And  their  Captain  never  left  his  post : 
"  O  Pilot,  see  you  yet  the  strait  that  leads  to  the  Eastern  sea  ? " 
'I  see  but  the  rocks  and  the  barren  shore;  no  strait  is  there,"  quoth  he, 

They  sailed  to  the  North  —  they  sailed  to  the  South  — 

And  at  last  they  rounded  an  arm  of  sand 
Which  held  the  sea  from  a  harbor's  mouth  — 

The  loveliest  in  the  land  ; 
They  kept  their  course  across  the  bay, 

And  the  shore  before  them  fell  away  : 
'  O  Pilot,  see  you  not  the  strait  that  leads  to  the  Eastern  sea  ?  " 
'  Hold  the  rudder  true  !    Praise  Christ  Jesu  !    the  strait  is  here,"  said  he. 

Onward  they  glide  with  wind  and  tide, 

Past  marshes  gray  and  crags  sun-kist  ; 
They  skirt  the  sills  of  green-clad  hills, 
And  meadows  white  with  mist  — 
But  alas  1    the  hope  and  the  brave,  brave  dream  I 

For  rock  and  shallow  bar  the  stream  : 
'O  Pilot,  can  this  be  the  strait  that  leads  to  the  Eastern  sea?" 
'Nay,  Captain,  nay;  't  is  not  this  way;  turn  back  we  must,"  said  he. 

Full  sad  was  Hudson's  heart  as  he  turned 

The  Half  Moon's  prow  to  the  South  once  more; 

He  saw  no  beauty  in  crag  or  hill. 

No  beauty  in  curving  shore ; 

For  they  shut  him  away  from  that  fabled  main 

He  sought  his  whole  life  long,  in  vain  : 

'  O  Pilot,  say,  can  there  be  a  strait  that  leads  to  the  Eastern  sea  ?  " 

'God's  crypt  is  sealed  I  'Twill  stand  revealed  in  His  own  good  time,"  quoth  he. 

Poems  of  American  History,  Burton  Egbert  Stevenson 

Houghton,  Mifflin  Co 


THE  HUDSON-FULTON  CELEBRATION  COMMISSION 

Organization  and  plans 

THE  Hudson- Fulton  Celebration  Commission  was  incorporated 
by  chapter  325  of  the  laws  of  1906  of  the  State  of  New 
York  to  arrange  for  "  the  public  celebration  or  commemora- 
tion of  the  tercentenary  of  the  discovery  of  the  Hudson  river  by 
Henry  Hudson  in  the  year  1609,  and  of  the  first  use  of  steam  in 
the  navigation  of  said  river  by  Robert  Fulton  in  the  year  !  807,  in 
such  manner  and  form,  either  permanent  or  temporary,  as  may  be 
found  appropriate  by  said  commission." 

Under  the  provisions  of  the  statute  the  officers  of  the  commission 
are :  president,  Gen.  Stewart  L.  Woodford ;  presiding  vice  president 
and  acting  president,  Mr  Herman  Ridder ;  vice  presidents,  Mr 
Andrew  Carnegie,  Hon.  Joseph  H.  Choate,  Maj.  Gen.  F.  D.  Grant 
U.  S.  A.,  Hon.  Seth  Low,  Mr  J.  Pierpont  Morgan,  Hon.  Levi  P. 
Morton,  Hon.  Alton  B.  Parker,  Mr  John  E.  Parsons,  Gen.  Horace 
Porter,  Hon.  Frederick  W.  Seward,  Mr  Francis  Lynde  Stetson, 
Hon.  Oscar  S.  Straus,  Mr  W.  B.  Van  Rensselaer,  and  Gen.  James 
Grant  Wilson;  treasurer,  Mr  Isaac  N.  Seligman;  secretary,  Mr 
Henry  W.  Sackett.  In  accordance  with  the  original  statute  and 
amendments  and  by  appointment  by  the  Governor  of  the  State  and 
Mayor  of  New  York  city  the  entire  commission  is  constituted  of 
mcfre  than  300  prominent  citizens  of  the  State  including  the  presi- 
dents of  38  incorporated  villages  along  the  Hudson  river. 

The  general  program  for  the  celebration  as  tentatively  announced 
by  the  commission  is  briefly  as  follows : 

Religious  service  days:  Saturday  and  Sunday,  September  25  and  26,  1909 
Reception  day:  Monday,  September  27II1 
The  people  of  Holland  under  royal  auspices  are  building  a  repro- 
duction of  the  Half  Moon  to  be  presented  to  the  commission 
manned  with  a  crew  in  the  costumes  of  the  period  of  Henry 
Hudson.  The  facsimile  of  the  Half  Moon  will  be  formally  received 
on  Monday,  September  27th  and  will  take  her  place  in  line  for  the 
journey  up  the  river.  A  facsimile  of  the  Clermont,  being  built  by 
the  commission,  will  start  from  the  original  site  with  appropriate 
exercises  and  take  her  place  in  line.  Public  and  private  buildings  will 
be  decorated,  visiting  guests  will  be  received,  and  exhibits  of  paintings, 
prints,  books,  models,  relics  etc.  will  be  opened  in  libraries  and  museums 
in  New  York  city  and  in  similar  institutions  throughout  the  State. 

Historical  day:  Tuesday,  September  28th 
On  Tuesday,  September  28th,  there  will  be  an  historical  parade  in 
New  York  city,  composed  of  floats  and  moving  tableaux  representing 

7 


the  principal  events  in  the  history  of  the  city  and  State.    The  official 
literary  exercises  will  be  held  in  the  evening  at  different  places  in 
New  York  city  at  which  orations  will  be  delivered  by  prominent  men. 
General  commemoration  day:  Wednesday,  September  2cth 

Wednesday,  September  29th,  will  be  devoted  to  the  dedication 
of  parks  and  memorials  along  the  Hudson  river  and  to  general 
commemorative  exercises  in  the  schools,  colleges,  universities  and 
other  educational  institutions  and  societies  throughout  the  State. 
Other  features  of  the  day  include  a  reception  to  visiting  guests  at 
West  Point  and  an  official  banquet  in  honor  of  distinguished  guests 
in  New  York  city  in  the  evening. 

Military  parade  day:  Thursday,  September  30th 

On  Thursday,  September  30th,  will  occur  the  military  parade, 
participated  in  by  the  United  States  Army,  the  United  States  Navy 
and  Marine  Corps,  the  National  Guard  and  the  Naval  Militia.  It 
is  expected  that  there  will  be  25,000  troops  in  line. 

Hudson  River  day:  Friday,  October  1st 

It  is  planned  on  Friday,  October  1st,  to  have  a  parade  of  vessels 
of  the  navy,  merchant  marine,  excursion  boats  and  pleasure  craft 
go  from  New  York  to  Newburgh  taking  with  them  the  facsimiles 
of  the  Half  Moon  and  the  Clermont.  Simultaneously  with  the  ad- 
vance of  the  south  Hudson  division  it  is  proposed  to  have  a  counter- 
procession  from  Albany  to  Newburgh,  the  two  divisions  meeting 
and  holding  appropriate  ceremonies  there. 

Carnival  day:  Saturday,  October  2d 

Saturday,  October  2d,  will  be  the  Children's  day  in  all  the  cities, 
devoted  to  fetes  in  public  and  private  parks  and  playgrounds.  The 
celebration  will  culminate  in  New  York  city  in  the  evening  in  a 
carnival  parade,  with  moving  allegorical  tableaux,  participated  in  by 
all  nationalities  represented  in  the  city.  It  is  also  designed  to  have 
a  chain  of  signal  fires  from  mountain  tops  and  other  eligible  sites 
along  the  whole  river  lighted  simultaneously  at  9  p.  m. 

Upper  Hudson  week:  beginning  Sunday,  October  3d 

It  is  planned  to  devote  the  week  beginning  Sunday,  October  3d 
to  celebrations  in  the  communities  along  the  upper  Hudson.  The 
naval  parade  with  the  Half  Moon  and  the  Clermont  will  proceed 
up  the  river  and  will  participate  in  celebrations  as  follows : 

Dutchess  County  day,  Monday,  October  4th,  at  Poughkeepsie ; 
Ulster  County  day,  Tuesday,  October  5th,  at  Kingston;  Greene 
County  day,  Wednesday,  October  6th,  at  Catskill ;  Columbia  County 
day,  Thursday,  October  7th,  at  Hudson;  Albany  County  day, 
Friday,  October  8th,  at  Albany;  and  Rensselaer  County  day,  Satur- 
day, October  9th,  at  Troy. 

8 


OBSERVANCE  IN  THE  SCHOOLS 


AS  noted  in  the  plans  of  the  Hudson- Fulton  Celebration  Com- 
mission, Wednesday,  September  29th,  has  been  set  apart  for 
the  observance  of  the  celebration  in  all  the  educational 
institutions  of  the  State.  A  General  Commemorative  Exercises  Com- 
mittee, of  which  Pres.  Jacob  G.  Schurman  of  Cornell  University  is 
chairman,  has  charge  of  this  work  for  the  Commission.  At  a  meeting 
on  March  3,  1909  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  General  Com- 
memorative Exercises  Committee,  of  which  the  Commissioner  of 
Education  is  a  member,  it  was  voted  that  the  work  of  extending 
information  to  the  schools  of  the  State  be  devolved  upon  that  officer. 
The  Commissioner  of  Education  therefore  very  earnestly  urges  all 
school  authorities  in  the  State  to  plan  to  hold  commemorative  exercises 
on  Wednesday,  September  29,  1909. 

Medals  for  essays 

In  order  to  aid  the  Commissioner  of  Education  in  arousing  interest 
in  the  schools  in  the  real  significance  of  the  celebration,  the  Hudson- 
Fulton  Celebration  Commission,  through  its  General  Commemorative 
Exercises  Committee,  offers  two  medals  to  each  high  school 
and  to  each  academy  in  the  State  for  the  best  essays  on  the  dis- 
covery of  the  Hudson  river  or  of  the  application  of  steam  to 
navigation  thereon,  one  medal  to  be  awarded  to  a  boy  and  one  to 
a  girl  in  each  school.  Announcement  has  already  been  made  in  a 
circular  issued  to  the  schools  on  April  15.  These  essays  are  to  be 
not  more  than  3000  words  in  length  and  are  to  be  presented  in 
the  handwriting  of  the  author  to  the  principal  of  the  school.  The 
principal  is  to  determine  the  award  and  certify  the  names  of  the 
winners  to  the  Commissioner  of  Education  not  later  than  September 
25,  1909.  It  is  suggested  that  public  announcement  of  the  winners 
be  made  at  the  exercises  on  Wednesday,  September  29th. 

Subjects  for  essays 

Pupils  should  be  urged  to  select  definite  and  specific  topics  for 
their  essays,  to  study  the  subject  thoroughly  and  then  to  write  an 
original  paper  and  not  to  make  a  mere  compilation.  The  following 
topics  touching  upon  the  whole  general  question  may  be  found 
helpful  for  essays  in  the  prize  contest  and  in  the  general  composi- 

9 


tion  work  in  the  schools :  Henry  Hudson  and  the  Half  Moon ; 
Hudson's  Journey  up  the  River;  An  Imaginary  Letter  from  Henry 
Hudson  to  a  Friend  in  England  Telling  of  his  Reception  by  the 
Indians;  Hudson's  Last  Voyage;  Instruments  Used  in  Navigation  in 
Hudson's  Time;  The  Relation  of  the  Hudson  River  to  the  History 
of  the  State;  The  Scenery  of  the  Hudson  River;  Legends  of  the 
Hudson  River ;  The  Industries  on  the  Banks  of  the  Hudson ;  Wash- 
ington at  Newburgh;   History  of  Location  of  the  Capital  of  the 

State;  The  Settlement  of   [insert  the  name  of  town  in  which 

writer  lives] ;  Robert  Fulton's  Career ;  Fulton's  Disappointments ; 
Fulton's  Debt  to  Other  Inventors ;  The  Growth  of  Steam  Naviga- 
tion in  100  Years ;  A  Description  of  the  Clermont ;  Brief  History 
of  the  Erie  Canal;  Description  of  an  Ocean  Voyage  in  1609,  1809 
and  1909  respectively. 

Subjects  for  debates 

1  That  the  Hudson  river  has  been  more  important  in  the  history 

of  the  United  States  than  the  Mississippi 

2  That  Europe  is  more  indebted  to  Spain  for  its  knowledge  of 

the  New  World  than  to  France,  Holland  or  England 

3  That  the  settlement  of  the  New  World  by  Europeans  would 

have  been  impossible  without  the  use  of  gunpowder  and  the 
invention  of  printing 

4  That  the  Dutch  took  an  unfair  advantage  of  the  Indians  in 

purchasing  Manhattan  island  for  $24  worth  of  trinkets 

5  That  the  United  States  was  better  protected  during  the  War 

of  1812  by  the  fame  of  Fulton  than  by  the  American  navy 

6  That  the  introduction  of  steam  navigation  was  more  influential 

in  the  growth  of  the  State  of  New  York  than  the  Erie  canal 

7  That  it  would  not  be  possible  for  the  present  city  of  Greater 

New  York  to  exist  without  the  steamboat  and  railroad 

8  That  the  Five  Nations  were  in  some  respects  more  civilized 

than  the  white  people  who  came  among  them 

9  That  Hudson's  last  voyage  was  a  foolish  waste  of  human  life 

10  That  the  capture  of  New  Amsterdam  by  the  English  in  1664 

can  not  be  justified 

1 1  That  the  two  greatest  American  inventions  were  brought  into 

practical  use  by  men  who  had  been  educated  as  artists 

12  That  Robert  Livingston  should  share  equally  with  Robert  Fulton 

the  credit  for  the  introduction  of  the  steamboat 

10 


Suggested  maps  and  charts 

1  Map  of  New  York  showing  locations  with  names  of  the  prin- 

cipal Indian  tribes  in  1609 

2  Map  of  New  York  in  relief  showing  the  old  Indian  trails  and 

travel  routes 

3  Map  of  New  York  showing  the  principal  cities  and  villages  in 

1810  with  population  of  each,  then  and  now 

4  Chart  showing  titles  and  names  of  authors  of  50  good  books 

relating  to  the  early  history  of  the  State  of  New  York 

5  Chart  showing  the  titles  and  authors  of  25  works  of  fiction 

touching  on  the  early  history  of  the  State  of  New  York 

6  Graphic  chart  showing  the  growth  of  New  York  city,  Albany 

and  other  Hudson  river  cities  according  to  censuses  from 
1800  to  1900 

7  Chart  showing  increase  in  Hudson  river  shipping  from  1800  to 

1900 

8  Chart  showing  relative  size  and  tonnage  of  the  Clermont  and 

the  Lusitania 

9  Chart  showing  relative  horsepower  of  ordinary  tugboat,  the  new 

Hudson  river  steamer  Robert  Fulton  and  the  Mauretania 

Constructive  work 

The  sand  fables  in  the  lower  grades  and  the  hand  work  of  the 
upper  grades  should  serve  to  present  very  clearly  to  pupils  the  full 
meaning  of  the  Hudson- Fulton  celebration.  The  evolution  of  water 
transportation  can  be  worked  out.  The  smaller  children  can  whittle 
out  swimming  logs,  dugouts  and  rafts,  and  shape  boats  of  bark,  skin 
and  reeds.  The  older  children  with  the  use  of  simple  tools  can  make 
a  model  of  the  Clermont  with  its  paddle  wheels,  stack  and  rudder, 
while  ambitious  boys  in  the  manual  training  schools  can  make  an 
almost  exact  model  of  the  boat  which  can  be  used  in  all  the  grades 
to  excite  interest  in  the  meaning  of  the  celebration.  Subjects  for  such 
constructive  work  are  as  follows :  the  Clermont,  the  Half  Moon,  a 
birch  canoe,  a  canal  boat,  a  canal  lock,  an  Indian  wigwam,  a  block- 
house, Dutch  colonial  house,  colonial  fireplace,  a  water  wheel  and 
mill. 

II 


Tableaux  > 


It  is  difficult  to  make  suggestions  for  tableaux  which  will  be 
applicable  to  all  parts  of  the  State,  to  the  different  conditions  under 
which  they  are  to  be  given  and  to  the  varying  resources  of  the 
participants.  Tableaux  can  be  given  out  of  doors  with  natural 
surroundings  which  can  not  be  given  indoors;  and  effects  can  be 
produced  in  a  theater  or  a  large  auditorium  which  can  not  be  had 
in  a  schoolroom.  Each  community  must  be  guided  largely  by  its  own 
history,  and  each  company  by  its  own  facilities. 

While  the  primary  object  of  the  Hudson- Fulton  celebration  is  to 
commemorate  the  achievements  of  Hudson  and  Fulton,  it  is  designed 
also  to  stimulate  the  study  of  the  local  history  of  all  the  communities 
of  the  State.  Therefore,  any  important  or  picturesque  or  interesting 
event  in  the  annals  of  a  town  or  city  may  appropriately  be  represented. 

There  are  no  more  picturesque  subjects  than  those  relating  to  the 
Indians.  If  purely  aboriginal  life  is  to  be  represented,  scenes  may  be 
given  representing  passages  in  the  "  Legend  of  Hiawatha, "  which  is 
supposed  to  depict  the  origin  of  the  Iroquois.  If  there  is  any  local 
Indian  legend,  it  may  likewise  afford  material.  Scenes  in  Indian 
domestic  life ;  the  making  of  pottery,  wooden  dishes,  bows  and  arrows, 
etc.;  the  stringing  of  wampum ;  an  Indian  meal ;  the  gathering  of  corn ; 
the  pounding  of  corn;  Indian  games,  etc.  are  admirable  subjects  for 
purely  Indian  characters. 

Then  there  is  a  range  of  subjects,  as  wide  as  the  State,  dealing 
with  the  contact  between  the  Indians  and  the  white  men.  The 
settlers  of  New  York  were  usually  very  scrupulous  to  buy  their 
land  from  the  Indians,  even  if  the  price  paid  was  small,  so  that 
from  the  purchase  of  Manhattan  island  by  Peter  Minuit  in  1626  to 
the  Big  Tree  Treaty  on  the  Genesee  by  which  the  Senecas  parted 
with  most  of  their  land,  there  were  innumerable  incidents  of  that 
sort.  There  were  a  great  many  councils  with  the  Indians  like  that 
on  Bowling  Green,  New  York;  that  between  Stuyvesant  and  the 
Indians  at  Albany  (Fort  Orange) ;  those  of  Sir  William  Johnson  at 
Johnstown;  those  under  the  Gouncil  tree  at  Geneva,  etc.  The 
dealings  of  the  fur  traders  with  the  natives  are  susceptible  of  simple 
and  effective  representation.  Cooper's  "  Leatherstocking  Tales"  will 
suggest  several  picturesque  scenes.  Scenes  of  captivity  may  also  be 
represented,  and  an  incident   like  Mary  Jemison's   arrival   in  the 

1  Reprinted  from  a  bulletin  prepared  by  Edward  Hagaman  Hall  L.H.M.  L.H.D.,  and  issued  by  the 
Hudson-Fulton  Celebration  Commission. 


12 


Genesee  country  with  her  Indian  babe  on  her  back  could  be  easily 
and  strikingly  portrayed. 

Henry  Hudson  may  be  represented  as  signing  his  contract  with 
the  directors  of  the  Dutch  East  India  Company ;  or  studying  his 
globe  and  charts  in  the  cabin  of  the  Half  Moon;  or  debating  with 
his  unruly  crew  near  Nova  Zembla  whether  he  shall  return  to 
Holland  or  sail  for  America;  or  welcomed  by  the  friendly  Hudson 
river  Indians.  The  famous  feast,  between  Hudson  city  and  Albany, 
when  the  Indians  broke  their  bows  and  arrows  to  show  their  friend- 
ship, would  make  a  striking  scene.  If  facilities  are  available,  a  scene 
based  on  Collier's  painting  of  "  Hudson's  Last  Voyage,"  would  be 
effective. 

Any  phase  of  Dutch  colonial  life  would  be  good.  A  Dutch 
youth  and  maiden  promenading  together,  or  with  the  youth  on  his 
knees  before  his  sweetheart,  would  represent  a  Dutch  courtship. 
The  rattle-watch  —  a  darkened  stage,  with  a  watchman,  going  about 
with  a  lantern  and  whirling  his  wooden  ratchet  —  could  be  easily 
produced.  Men  bowling  at  tenpins;  or  a  Dutch  school  scene;  or 
features  of  domestic  life,  such  as  spinning,  weaving,  threshing  with 
a  flail,  churning  by  hand,  polishing  the  pewter  dishes,  and  cooking 
at  the  old  fireplace,  are  good  material  to  work  upon. 

yVhat  has  just  been  said  about  the  Dutch  period  is  equally  applic- 
able to  the  English  colonial  period.  A  tea  party  of  either  colonial 
period  could  be  made  very  pretty. 

In  preparing  for  the  presentation  of  historical  scenes,  the  first  essential 
is  to  read  the  local  history  of  the  town  and  pick  out  its  leading  events. 
Some  incident  connected  with  the  first  permanent  settlement  of  each 
town  is  particularly  recommended.  In  New  York  city,  the  purchase 
of  Manhattan  island  in  1626,  as  mentioned  above,  would  repre- 
sent the  beginning  of  the  Dutch  period;  the  surrender  of  Fort 
Amsterdam  by  Peter  Stuyvesant  in  1 664,  the  beginning  of  the  English 
period;  and  the  reading  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  to  the 
Continental  Army,  July  9,  1776,  the  beginning  of  the  American  period. 
The  trial  and  acquittal  of  John  Peter  Zenger  (1735)  establishing 
the  freedom  of  the  press;  citizens  signing  the  nonimportation  agree- 
ment (1765);  citizens  burning  the  British  stamps  (1765);  Washing- 
ton giving  instructions  to  Nathan  Hale  (1776);  Washington's 
farewell  to  his  officers  (1783)  are  suggestive  of  many  others  relating 
to  colonial  and  revolutionary  times.  Where  events  are  of  national 
or  state-wide  importance  there  is  no  reason  why  one  community 

13 


should  not  borrow  subjects  from  another.  Washington  refusing  the 
crown  at  Newburgh,  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  at  Kingston, 
the  capitulation  of  Burgoyne  at  Saratoga,  and  the  making  of  the 
first  American  flag  flown  in  battle  at  Fort  Stanwix  (Rome)  are 
events  in  the  latter  class. 

Almost  every  community  has  had  one  preeminent  historical  char* 
acter,  like  Peter  Stuyvesant,  George  Clinton,  Peter  Schuyler,  Kiliaen 
Van  Rensselaer,  Horatio  Seymour,  William  H.  Seward,  or  scores 
of  others  who  could  be  named.  Such  a  character,  represented  in 
his  most  famous  attitude  or  act,  would  make  a  tableau  by  itself. 
Oftentimes  a  local  statue  will  convey  a  helpful  suggestion  in  this 
direction.  "  Living  statuary "  representing  a  soldier  and  sailor,  would 
symbolize  the  Civil  War.  Robert  Fulton's  life  suggests  several  sub' 
jects,  such  as  taking  painting  lessons  from  Benjamin  West;  working 
on  a  steamboat  model ;  making  mechanical  drawings ;  conferring  with 
ex- President  Jefferson,  President  Madison  and  others  when  he 
explained  his  torpedo  plans,  etc.  Irving's  "  Sketch  Book  "  can  be  drawn 
on  for  legends  of  the  Hudson  river,  foremost  among  which  is  that  of 
Rip  Van  Winkle  and  Henry  Hudson's  crew  in  the  Catskills. 


"  Sunnyside,"  Irving's  home  on  the  Hudson 


HUDSON  AND  THE  RIVER 


¥  ESS  is  known  of  Henry  Hudson  than  of 
other  explorers  of  America  in  the  1 7th 
century ;  and  all  that  is  known  of  him 
is  included  within  four  years  —  from  the  May 
day  in  1607  when  he  sailed  from  Gravesend 
for  Greenland,  until  the  fatal  day  of  June  in 
1611,  when  he  was  cast  adrift  by  his  mutin- 
ous  crew  in  the  far  northern  James  bay, 
and  so  passed  forever  into  the  unknown. 
We  know  nothing  of  his  youth,  his  educa- 
tion, his  associations,  his  personal  appear- 
ance,  his  vocational  training  or  experience, 
or  anything  about  him,  prior  to  his  first  re- 
corded voyage,  when  he  looms  into  view; 
but  the  years  of  which  we  do  know  are 
sufficient  to  reveal  him  as  a  man  of  large 
intelligence  and  enterprise,  of  abiding  courage 
and  indomitable  will,  which  lift  him  into  fame 
*  as  conspicuous  among  those  who  opened  the 

new  world  to  the  old,  and  especially  as  the  pathfinder  for  the 
commerce  and  civilization  of  the  Empire  State.  In  the  agreement 
with  the  Dutch  merchants  in  1609  he  is  described  as  "Henry  Hudson, 
Englishman."  This  doubtless  settles  the  country  of  his  birth.  It 
is  suggested  that  he  was  a  grandson  of  another  Henry  Hudson, 
who  was  an  incorporator  of  the  Muscovy  Gompany,  but  this  is 
a  mere  conjecture  based  upon  the  identity  of  the  Christian  name  of 
each  and  the  interest  of  other  Hudsons  in  the  company.  It  is  said 
by  some  that  he  had  been  a  master  of  Dutch  vessels,  and  by  others 
that  he  was  with  the  Muscovy  Gompany  before  he  was  sent  by  the 
latter  on  his  arctic  voyage,  but  it  may  fairly  be  stated  that  he  was 
then  a  skilled  seaman.  He  was  about  40  years  old  and  was  married, 
for  he  had  a  son  who  accompanied  him  in  his  expeditions  and  per- 
ished with  him,  and  there  is  reference  to  other  children  in  the 
subsequent  contract  with  the  Dutch  East  India  Gompany. 

The  Muscovy  Gompany,  trading  in  Russia,  was  anxious  to  find  a 
northwest  passage  to  Ghina.  This  was  the  dream  that  entranced 
many  hardy  mariners  of  the  day.     It  was  the  dream  of  Hudson, 

15 


who  was  willing  to  brave  dangers  and  mischances  that  he  might 
realize  it.  So  the  company  hired  him,  and  on  May  1,  1607  he 
set  out  from  Gravesend  in  a  craft  of  80  tons,  the  Hopewell, 
with  a  crew  of  1 1  men,  some  of  whom  were  turbulent  and 
worthless  fellows,  as  was  the  case  also  with  his  succeeding  crews. 
In  six  weeks  he  reached  Greenland  and  named  the  first  land 
seen  Young's  cape  after  one  of  his  men,  a  name  it  still  retains. 
Thence  he  headed  north  to  72°  on  the  coast  and  steered  for  Spitz- 
bergen,  touching  80°  23'  and  holding  the  record  for  "farthest 
north"  until  Captain  Phipps  in  1773  went  25'  further  north.  He 
perplexed  himself  in  vain  about  a  northwest  passage,  and  by  this  time 
his  men  had  become  restive  and  even  rebellious  and  clamored  for 
home.  He  was  obliged  to  yield  to  them,  and  turning  his  prow  east- 
ward put  into  Tilbury  docks  on  the  1 5th  of  September,  having  been 
plagued  throughout  a  large  part  of  his  course  by  thick  fogs  and 
tempests  and  pounding  ice  floes.  The  voyage  was  a  disappointment. 
Nothing  had  been  accomplished  except  the  high  northern  mark. 
Other  adventurers  had  preceded  him  in  their  visits  to  the  arctic  region. 
But  he  still  had  his  stout  heart. 

Hudson's  second  voyage  was  under  the  same  support  and  probably 
in  the  same  small  but  stanch  vessel  as  the  first.  It  was  an  effort  to 
find  at  the  northeast  that  which  had  baffled  him  at  the  northwest  — 
communication  with  China  and  the  Indian  ocean.  He  left  St  Rathe- 
rine's  docks  on  the  22d  of  April  1 608,  coasted  western  Norway, 
rounded  Cape  North  on  the  3d  of  June,  and  after  much  buffeting  by 
the  ice  rested  in  a  quiet  cove  of  Nova  Zembla  on  the  1st  of  July. 
He  was  soon  satisfied  that  further  search  at  that  time  would  be 
useless,  and  "being  void  of  hope,"  as  he  says,  "the  wind  stormy  and 
against  us  and  with  much  ice  driving,  we  weighed  anchor  and  set  sail 
west."  He  was  back  on  the  Thames  on  the  26th  of  August,  to  be 
coolly  received  and  even  scolded  by  the  company  for  his  failure,  and 
his  relations  with  it  ended.  His  own  ardor,  however,  was  not 
eclipsed  by  his  rebuff.  The  dream  still  possessed  him.  There  were 
other  ways  to  try  and  other  patrons  to  ask. 

Like  "soldiers  of  fortune"  with  their  swords  drawn  at  any  bidding, 
a  number,  if  not  a  majority,  of  the  discoverers  and  explorers  of  America 
were  aided  by  governments  and  associations  other  than  those  of  their 
own  nationality.  Some  tramped  from  court  to  court,  cap  in  hand. 
Columbus,  a  Genoese,  was  commissioned  by  Isabella  of  Spain ;  Cabot, 
an  Italian,  by  Henry  VII  of  England;  Verrazano,  a  Florentine,  by 

16 


Francis  !  of  France;  Gomez,  a  Portuguese,  by  Charles  V,  the 
German  Emperor ;  and  Americus  Vespucius  was  in  the  employ  of  both 
Spain  and  Portugal.  It  is  not  singular  that  the  English  Hudson,  doubt- 
less angry  with  the  Muscovy  Company,  should  make  terms  for  his 
third  and  most  memorable  voyage  with  the  Amsterdam  Chamber  of 
the  great  Dutch  East  India  Company  at  a  time  when  the  Netherlands, 
despite  the  exhausting  war  for  her  liberties  in  which  she  had  been 
engaged  with  Spain,  was  pushing  to  the  front  as  a  world  trader,  when 
the  scepter  of  commerce  was  passing  from  the  Rialto  to  the  Zuyder 
Zee.  After  considerable  delay  an  agreement  was  concluded  by  which 
the  company  was  to  furnish  a  vessel  of  about  60  tons  burden  (the 


First  view  of  New  Amsterdam 


Half  Moon)  in  which  Hudson  was  to  sail  "by  the  north  around  the 
north  side  of  Nova  Zembla,  thence  by  a  southerly  course  to  the  latitude 
of  60°,"  still  to  seek  the  fabled  passage  to  the  East,  and  the  injunction 
was  strict  that  no  other  route  should  be  attempted.  For  his  personal 
outfit  and  the  support  of  his  family  he  was  to  receive  $320  and  $80 
additional  was  to  be  paid  to  his  wife  in  case  of  his  death,  with  a  pro- 
vision  for  further  compensation  at  the  discretion  of  the  directors  —  a 
paltry  sum  and  an  indefinite  promise  suggesting  a  secret  understanding 
and  an  option  as  to  the  course  he  should  pursue.  His  crew  was 
again  a  motley  one — Dutch,  English  and  Asiatics  —  less  than  20  in  all, 
unruly  and  unmanageable,  men  meaning  to  be  masters.  As  has  been 
seen  it  was  always  his  fate  to  have  such  a  crew. 

17 


He  left  Amsterdam  April  4,  1 609 ;  in  about  a  month  he  was  off 
the  North  cape  again,  but  Nova  Zembla  was  not  reached;  the 
ice  was  obstinate,  some  of  the  crew  were  sick,  others  were 
doing  double  duty,  and  all  were  dissatisfied.  So  the  choice  was 
given  them  to  point  for  America  at  about  40°,  or  to  try  to  reach 
India  by  way  of  Davis  strait  at  the  north.  The  latter  was  selected,  and 
Hudson,  disregarding  the  company's  instructions,  made  the  Newfound- 
land banks,  July  2 ;  thence  he  coasted  southward  to  Penobscot  bay,  to 
Cape  Cod,  by  New  York  harbor,  to  James  river,  to  South  Carolina, 
and  then  back  to  the  Chesapeake,  with  a  run  up  the  Delaware ;  and  on 
the  2d  of  September  the  Half  Moon  cast  anchor  in  "  a  great  lake  of 
water,  as  we  could  judge  it  to  be,"  with  high  hills  to  the  northward  — 
"  a  very  good  land  to  fall  in  with  and  a  pleasant  land  to  see,"  as  runs 
the  quaint  chronicle.  For  about  1 0  days  Hudson  remained  in  the  lower 
bay  of  New  York,  taking  soundings  and  having  intercourse,  both 
friendly  and  otherwise,  with  the  Indians  who  crowded  about  the  ship. 
On  the  1 2th  of  September  he  went  up  the  bay  to  the  Battery  and 
entered  the  river,  yet  with  the  thought  that  it  might  be  a  channel  that 
led  the  way  to  the  coveted  spices  and  precious  stones  of  the  East. 
The  story  of  the  ascent  and  descent  of  the  river  is  a  familiar  one  and 
needs  here  to  be  but  briefly  told.  On  the  13th  he  was  at  Spuyten 
Duyvil ;  the  1 4th  at  the  Highlands ;  the  1 5th  within  view  of  the  Cats- 
kills;  the  18th  opposite  the  site  of  Hudson  city;  on  the  19th  he  was 
trading  with  the  natives,  a  few  miles  below  Albany;  on  the  20th  a 
small  boat  was  sent  north  to  prospect,  the  Half  Moon  riding  at 
anchor;  on  the  22d  the  boat  returned  to  report  that  it  had  gone  about 
27  miles,  probably  to  Waterford,  that  the  river  narrowed  and  shal- 
lowed  all  the  way,  and  that  the  dream  of  the  northwest  passage,  by 
this  stream,  must  be  abandoned.  On  the  23d  the  descent  began,  and 
after  various  adventures  and  some  serious  encounters  with  the  Indians 
the  bay  was  again  seen  on  the  3d  of  October.  The  next  day  with 
fair  weather  and  a  favoring  breeze  the  Half  Moon  trimmed  her  sails 
for  the  East,  and  was  the  first  ship  which  left  the  port  of  New  York 
direct  for  Europe.  How  many  thousands  have  followed  in  her  wake  I 
The  original  destination  was  Ireland,  whence  further  American  explo- 
ration was  to  be  made,  so  determined  by  a  compromise  with  the  crew, 
which  was  as  usual  of  a  mutinous  spirit,  sullenly  refusing  to  return  to 
Holland.  But,  either  accidentally  or  by  design  of  the  master,  Dart- 
mouth in  Devon  was  the  port  arrived  at  on  the  7th  of  November. 
There  both  vessel  and  captain  were  detained  by  the  English  authorities ; 

18 


the  former,  however,  was  subsequently  released,  and  returning  to 
Holland  was  wrecked  in  East  Indian  waters  a  few  years  later,  while 
the  latter,  as  an  English  subject,  was  forbidden  to  leave  the  country. 

Hudson's  career  may  now  be  speedily  followed  to  its  close.  In 
1610  certain  members  of  the  Muscovy  Company,  Sir  Thomas  Smith 
and  Sir  Dudley  Digges  being  among  them,  fitted  out  for  him  the  ship 
Discoverer,  with  which  according  to  the  Rev.  Samuel  Purchas,  who 
wrote  much  concerning  Hudson,  he  was  "  to  try  if  through  any  of  the 
passages  which  Davis  saw,  any  passage  might  be  found  to  the  other 
ocean  called  the  South  sea."  The  dream  persists.  On  the  17th  of 
April  he  sailed  from  London  with  an  especially  ugly  crew  of  20  men, 
touched  the  southern  end  of  Greenland,  and  on  the  1 1  th  of  July 
anchored  at  Baffin  land  on  Hudson  strait;  thence  entering  Hudson  bay 


he  rested  in  James  bay  at  its  southern  extremity  some  time  in  September. 
Therein  he  was  icebound  and  the  winter  was  spent  with  much  of 
idleness,  bickering  and  complaint  by  the  crew,  and  the  final  shattering 
of  his  hope  of  penetrating  to  China.  He  had  met  with  his  fourth 
failure  in  his  zealous  pursuit.  On  the  18th  of  June  1611  he  began  his 
homeward  trip,  but  now  mutiny  was  openly  declared  against  him,  and 
measures  for  his  "taking  off"  were  planned.  The  severity  of  his  dis- 
cipline was  alleged  as  his  chief  offense,  in  part  accounting  for  but  not 
excusing  the  tragedy  that  ensued.  Four  days  later  with  the  sick  and 
lame,  his  son  John  and  the  ship's  carpenter,  faithful  to  the  last  —  eight 
in  all  —  he  was  thrown  into  a  shallop  and  the  ship  bore  away. 
The  crime  was  one  of  peculiar  atrocity.  The  curtain  falls  upon  the 
mystery  of  his  fate,  but  rises  upon  his  imperishable  renown. 

19 


What  did  Henry  Hudson  accomplish  ?  Broadly  it  may  be  stated 
that  he  discovered  the  bay  and  explored  the  river  to  each  of  which  his 
name  is  attached.  Not  many  years  passed  before  he  was  followed  to 
the  bay  by  Button  and  Fay  and  Cox,  and  half  a  century  after  his  death 
the  Yankee  captain,  Zachariah  Gillam,  led  an  expedition  thither  which 
resulted  in  the  building  of  the  first  fort  on  its  shore  and  in  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  famous  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  whose  colossal  operations 
have  lasted  more  than  two  centuries.  When  the  controversy  between 
England  and  France  for  the  possession  of  the  immense  territory  that 
surrounds  it  became  acute,  it  was  upon  the  exploit  of  Hudson  that 
England  based  her  claim  to  priority  of  title.  But  it  is  in  his  relation  to 
the  river  and  its  features,  associations  and  history  that  we  are  chiefly 
interested.  Of  it  in  the  strictest  sense  he  can  not  be  said  to  be  the 
discoverer.  Others  had  previously  seen  it.  Verrazano  in  1524  beheld 
the  "Grandissima  riviera"  at  its  mouth,  as  probably  did  Gomez  in  1525, 
who  named  it  "  Rio  de  Sanet  Antonio,"  and  it  is  thus  indicated  on  a 
map  drawn  by  Alonzo  Chaves,  a  Spanish  cartographer,  in  1537. 
Stephen  Bellinger,  a  Frenchman,  in  1583  coasted  southwesterly  from 
Cape  Breton,  600  miles,  "  and  had  trafique  with  the  people  in  tenne 
or  twelve  places."  The  shore  of  the  river  may  have  been^one  of 
these.  And  there  are  vague  accounts  of  both  French  and  Dutch 
visitations  prior  to  1609,  but  Hudson  saw,  observed  and  investigated 
from  tide  water  to  the  head  of  navigation. 

The  Dutch  immediately  assumed  title  to  the  river  and  to  lands 
westward  of  it  by  right  of  Hudson's  exploration  —  not  an  uncontested 
and  at  the  last  a  voided  title  —  for  the  English  claimed  by  virtue  of 
Cabot's  discoveries  all  lands  on  the  North  American  coast  north 
of  Florida,  and  the  English  crown  made  grants  accordingly.  They 
also  claimed,  because  of  Hudson's  nationality  as  superior  to  his  Dutch 
engagement.  The  Indian  name  of  the  river  was  Shatemuc;  Hudson 
called  it  the  Mauritius,  after  Prince  Maurice ;  the  early  colonists,  the 
North,  by  which  it  is  still  sometimes  known;  but  eventually  it  was 
properly  named  the  Hudson.  In  their  first  operations  the  Dutch  were 
not  materially  molested  by  any  other  power.  Trade  with  the  Indians 
for  furs  began  at  once.  In  1610  the  fur  merchants  of  Amsterdam 
dispatched  for  that  purpose  a  vessel  with  Hudson's  former  mate,  Van 
Kampen,  as  master,  the  venture  being  a  profitable  one.  In  1611  Hen' 
drick  Christiaensen  took  to  Holland  two  Indian  boys,  the  sons  of  a 
Manhattan  chief.  In  1611  five  ships  were  sent  out  from  Holland, 
and  certain  famous  sailors,  Christiaensen,  Block  and  May,  appeared 

20 


upon  the  scene,  driving  lucrative  bargains  and  making  some  notable 
discoveries  in  adjacent  waters  as  well.  Within  a  few  years  several 
forts  or  bastions  were  erected,  Nassau,  a  mile  or  two  south  of  Albany, 
and  one,  perhaps  two,  on  Manhattan  being  among  them ;  and  settle- 
ment, as  yet  wholly  for  traffic  with  the  Indians,  may  be  said  to  have 
begun.  In  1614  that  eminent  buccaneer,  Samuel  Argall,  compelled 
the  Dutch  at  all  their  forts  to  lower  their  own  and  raise  the  English 
flag,  and  then  sailed  away,  the  English  flag  being  promptly  pulled 
down  after  he  left.  In  the  same  year  the  States  General  of  the 
United  Netherlands  gave  a  charter  for  a  limited  number  of  voyages 
to  the  New  Netherland  Company  to  trade  exclusively  in  the  newly 


New  York  harbor 


discovered  lands  between  the  40th  and  45th  degrees  of  north  latitude 
—  that  is,  between  New  France  and  Virginia,  so  expressed  —  and 
specifically  describing  the  region  as  New  Netherland.  In  1618  a 
notable  compact  was  made  by  the  command  at  Fort  Nassau  with  the 
Iroquois  on  a  hill  at  the  mouth  of  the  Tawasentha  —  Norman's  kill  — 
a  few  miles  below  Albany  for  the  exchange  of  peltries  and  weapons 
of  war.  It  was  the  basis  of  a  warm  and  enduring  friendship  of  the 
Iroquois  and  Dutch,  to  which  the  English  succeeded,  that  was  of 
immense  benefit  to  the  latter  and  of  serious  harm  to  the  French  and 
Algonquins.  In  1621  the  States  General  issued  the  celebrated  charter 
to  the  Dutch  West  India  Company,  with  its  enormous  jurisdiction  and 

21 


extraordinary  franchises ;  and  two  years  thereafter  the  company  sent 
out  the  ship  New  Netherland  with  thirty  Walloon  families ;  a  part  of 
them  settled  in  what  is  now  the  borough  of  Brooklyn,  and  a  part  at 
Fort  Orange  on  the  site  of  Albany.  Colonization  was  a  fact.  In 
1626  Peter  Minuit  was  made  Director  General  with  residence  in  New 
York,  and  purchased  Manhattan  island  from  the  Indians  for  60 
guilders  —  $24.  Thus  Dutch  estates,  usages  and  institutions  were 
introduced  into  New  Netherland,  and  these  remained  even  after  the 
English  conquest  in  1664.    Their  influence  is  still  felt  in  New  York. 

It  would  be  beyond  the  limits  of  this  article  to  enlarge  upon  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Dutch  in  molding  our  State.  A  few  words  must  suffice. 
First  of  all  it  is  to  be  noted  that  New  Netherland  was  the  child  of  the 
Dutch  Republic,  then  the  most  intelligent,  the  freest  and  the  most  enter- 
prising nation  of  Europe.  The  founders  of  the  new  state  brought 
with  them  the  principles  of  the  old ;  and  they  also  opened  wide  the 
door  to  the  refugees  of  all  nations  from  either  political  or  religious 
persecution.  New  Amsterdam  was  cosmopolitan  from  the  beginning. 
It  is  said  that  18  languages  were  spoken  there  before  1650.  The 
Swedes  came  to  Manhattan,  the  Waldenses  to  Staten  island,  the  Wal- 
loons and  English  to  Long  island  and  the  Huguenots  to  Ulster  county. 
The  Dutch  originated  the  vital  principles  of  our  institutions,  municipal  and 
township  organizations,  and  the  idea  of  local  self-government.  To 
these  they  held  firmly  in  their  representative  bodies  —  the  "twelve  men" 
and  the  "eight  men."  They  uniformly  opposed  arbitrary  taxation. 
Above  all  else,  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  on  the  Hudson  in  1633  the 
first  public  school  in  the  land  was  established.  If  it  be  said  that 
the  feudal  powers  granted  to  the  patroons  on  their  manorial  estates  did 
not  correspond  with  the  general  prevalence  of  popular  government,  it 
may  be  replied  that  for  these  the  West  India  Company,  and  not  the 
States  General,  was  responsible;  that  in  1638  and  1640  the  prerogatives 
of  fhe  patroons  were  materially  restricted  and  the  rights  of  free  settlers 
materially  enlarged,  and  that  wherever  the  numbers  in  the  settlements 
were  sufficient  the  company  was  bound  to  guarantee  them  local  self- 
government. 

The  Hudson,  the  second  of  any  river  of  considerable  size  on  the 
continent  to  be  explored,  the  St  Lawrence  being  the  first,  is  300  miles 
in  length,  and  is  navigable  by  vessels  of  the  first  class  for  about  150 
miles.  Its  general  direction  is  southerly  —  due  south  in  its  navigable 
portion.  It  drains  an  area  of  about  30,000  square  miles  above  the 
entrance  of  the  Mohawk.    Among  its  tributaries  are  the  Schroon, 

22 


Batten  kill,  Hoosic,  Wappingers  and  Croton  on  the  east,  and  the 
Sacandaga,  Mohawk,  Wallkill  and  Esopus  creek  from  the  west. 
There  are  longer  rivers  in  the  land,  but  few  with  fuller  flow.  There 
are  those  along  which  nature  is  tossed  into  more  weird  and  awful 
shapes,  with  deeper  chasms  and  loftier  cataracts,  but  there  is  none 
upon  which  there  is  a  greater  variety  cf  scenery,  from  the  beautiful  to 
the  sublime,  as  there  is  none  more  serviceable.  During  its  entire  course 
there  is  no  spot  which  is  not  invested  with  interest,  either  natural, 
legendary  or  historical,  from  the  silken  skeins  of  mist  and  the  bubbling 
springs  at  its  sources  in  the  Adirondacks,  to  the  magnificent  bay  upon 
which  the  navies  of  the  world  may  ride,  where  the  queenliest  of  cities 


Storm  King 


receives  tribute  from  the  commerce  of  all  the  zones.  Especially  notable 
are  the  series  of  rapids  and  cascades  at  Glens  Falls,  the  water  rushing 
over  ragged  masses  of  black  marble  through  a  descent  of  80  feet;  the 
Catskills,  a  wonderful  procession  of  peaks  and  slopes,  and  recesses ; 
the  picturesque  Highlands ;  the  solitary  grandeur  of  Storm  King  and 
Cro'  Nest;  the  majesty  of  the  Palisades,  battlements  rock-ribbed  and 
perpendicular,  sheer  from  the  water's  edge  to  hights  of  250  to  500 
feet;  the  broad  expanse  of  the  Tappan  Zee,  and  the  noble  sweep 
into  the  Atlantic.  The  Hudson  is  a  peerless  stream.  It  is  often  com- 
pared with  the  Rhine,  but  the  Rhine  is  not  so  uniformly  fascinating  in 
its  natural  features  as  the  Hudson,  and  is  admired  less  for  these  than 
for  the  castles  and  ruins  on  its  banks.    The  Hudson  is  lined  by  princely 

23 


estates,  thriving  villages  and  prosperous  cities.  Of  the  latter  there  are 
in  New  York  State  eight  —  Cohoes,  Albany,  Hudson,  Kingston,  New^ 
burgh,  Poughkeepsie,  Ycnkers  and  New  York,  already  the  second 
and  soon  to  be  the  first  market  place  in  the  world ;  and  in  New  Jersey 
are  Hoboken,  Jersey  City  and  ether  populous  communities.  Over 
5,000,000  people  reside  on,  or  contiguous  to,  the  banks  cf  the  Hudson 
—  a  multitudinous  host,  an  imperial  domain. 

There  is  no  section  of  the  country  that  is  of  larger  historical  signifi- 
cance than  that  of  the  Hudson.  It  has  witnessed  its  own  exploration 
and  colonization  by  one  people  and  its  surrender  to  another ;  a  portion 
of  the  conflict  between  two  great  European  nations  for  the  pos- 
session of  the  continent;  the  first  congress  of  the  colonies  for  mutual 
protection ;  the  provincial  struggles  I  or  popular  rights ;  the  battles  of 
the  Revolution  most  intimately  reived  to  its  successful  issue;  the 
organization  of  the  federal  government;  and  the  evolution  politically 
and  economically  cf  the  foremost  commonwealth  of  the  United  States. 
Some  of  these  events  have  already  been  referred  to  and  but  a  glance 
at  others  may  be  indulged  in. 

The  Dutch  held  sway  in  New  York  for  about  50  years,  the  last 
Dutch  governor  being  Peter  Stuyvesant,  a  very  hard-headed  and  hot- 
headed, one-legged  man,  who  stumped  New  Amsterdam  in  unavailing 
rage  when  on  August  29,  1664  Richard  Nicolls  sailed  up  the  bay  and 
demanded  in  the  name  of  his  sovereign,  Charles  II  of  England,  then  at 
war  with  Holland,  the  surrender  of  the  "  towns  situated  on  the  island 
commonly  known  by  the  name  cf  Manhattoes,  with  all  the  parts  there- 
unto belonging.'"'  English  rule  began  September  8th,  the  transferred 
province  being  renamed  New  York  after  the  Duke  of  York,  subse- 
quently James  II,  and  continued  with  an  interval  from  August  1673, 
when  the  Dutch  under  Captain  Colve  seized  it  and  administered  its 
affairs,  until  November  1674,  when  it  reverted  to  England  under  the 
treaty  of  Westphalia.  From  1674  until  1683  Sir  Edmund  Andres, 
the  ablest  and  most  energetic  of  the  crown  governors,  was  at  the  helm, 
returning  in  1688  as  governor  in  chief  and  captain  general  of  all  the 
northern  colonies.  He  strengthened  defenses,  increased  trade,  aug- 
mented the  revenues  and  beautified  the  city.  In  1683,  Thomas  Dongan 
being  governor,  the  ''Charter  of  Liberties"  was  declared,  by  which 
the  supreme  legislative  power  was  vested  in  a  governor,  council  and 
the  people  met  in  a  general  assembly  —  the  first  recognition  of  the 
people  in  any  American  constitution.  In  the  same  year  the  first  1 0 
counties,  six  of  which  —  Albany,  Dutchess,  New  York.  Orange,  Ulster 

24 


FROM  PHOTOGRAPH  IN  POSSESSION  OF  MRS  LAURA  VAN  RENSSELAER  ALBANY 

Van  Rensselaer  Mansion 

Erected  at  Albany  by  Stephen  Van  Rensselaer  in  1765  ;  remodeled  in  1843  and  removed  to  Sigma  Phi 
place  at  Williams  College  in  1893. 

25 


and  Westchester  —  are  on  the  Hudson,  were  erected.  Kings  on  the 
East  river  may  also  be  classed  as  within  the  territory  of  the  Hudson, 
while  the  remaining  counties  —  Queens,  Richmond  and  Suffolk  -  -  it  may 
not  be  proper  to  claim.  In  1 735  the  liberty  of  the  press  was  vindicated 
in  New  York  in  the  celebrated  case  of  John  Peter  Zenger,  acquitted 
on  a  charge  of  libel  by  the  eloquent  plea  of  Andrew  Hamilton. 
In  1754  a  congress  of  the  northern  colonies  was  held  in  Albany,  at 
which  a  plan  of  union  drafted  by  Benjamin  Franklin  was  adopted. 
It  was  not  carried,  but  it  was  the  herald  of  their  future  cooperation. 
On  the  18th  of  October  1764  the  New  York  Assembly  authorized  a 
correspondence  with  other  colonies  concerning  the  acts  of  Parliament 
relative  to  trade  and  upon  the  danger  of  being  taxed  unreasonably  by 
the  mother  country  —  the  first  official  proposition  in  behalf  of  American 
union  for  American  interests,  anticipating  by  two  years  the  action  of 
Massachusetts  at  the  instance  of  Samuel  Adams,  to  the  same  purpose. 

The  Hudson  bore  the  brunt  of  the  Revolution.  It  was  the  scene  of 
its  most  stirring  incidents,  of  its  crucial  conflict,  and  of  the  evacua- 
tion of  the  country  by  British  troops,  November  25,  1783.  There 
Washington  revealed  his  consummate  military  genius  by  withdrawing 
his  shattered  troops  in  the  face  of  overwhelming  numbers  to  win  the 
victories  of  Trenton  and  Princeton.  On  its  lower  shores  was  the 
debatable  ground  where  patriot  and  tory  were  in  constant  feud. 
On  the  17th  of  October  1777  at  Schuylerville  Burgoyne  surrendered, 
as  the  outcome  of  the  battles  of  Bemis  Heights,  generally  known  as  the 
field  of  Saratoga.  The  story  is  a  familiar  one  —  the  scheme  to  separate 
New  England  from  the  other  colonies  by  uniting  the  troops  of  Burgoyne 
and  Howe  on  the  upper  Hudson ;  the  failure  of  Howe  to  ascend ;  the 
advance  of  Burgoyne  by  way  of  Lake  Champlain ;  the  well  devised 
plans  of  Schuyler  to  meet  the  invasion ;  his  cruel  retirement  from  com- 
mand and  the  succession  of  Gates ;  the  fall  of  Ticonderoga ;  the  retreat 
from  Fort  Edward  to  an  advantageous  position  ;  the  breaking  of  British 
communication  with  the  Canadian  base ;  the  cordon  drawn  about 
Burgoyne;  the  sharp  engagements  and  the  laying  down  of  arms. 
Nowhere  on  American  soil  is  there  a  spot  more  sacred  than  that  of 
Saratoga.  There  was  the  signal  American  triumph,  and  there  the  signal 
British  discomfiture,  presaging  ultimate  British  defeat.  "  The  Revolution," 
says  Senator  Lodge,  "  was  saved  at  Trenton :  it  was  established  at 
Saratoga."  On  the  15th  of  July  1779  "Mad  Anthony"  Wayne 
captured  Stony  Point,  the  "  Gibraltar  of  the  Highlands,"  as  Irving  calls 
it  —  one  of  the  most  brilliant  exploits  of  the  war,  distinguished  alike  for 

26 


its  difficulty  and  daring.  It  is  in  sharp  contrast  with  the  infamy  of  West 
Point,  a  year  later,  when  Benedict  Arnold,  the  dashing  fighter  of 
Quebec,  Valcour  and  Saratoga,  the  beloved  and  trusted  lieutenant  of 
Washington,  harassed  with  debt  and  smarting  at  the  neglect  of  Con- 
gress, tried  to  betray  the  fortress  into  British  hands  for  British  gold; 
and,  thwarted  in  this,  sneaked  down  the  Hudson  leaving  the  British 
emissary,  the  gifted  and  noble  Andre,  to  be  executed  as  a  spy,  for  his 
(Arnold's)  treason. 


Reproduction  of  pass  in  Arnold's  handwriting  found  with  other  papers  in  Mai'or  Andre's  boots  when 
he  was  captured.  The  Andre  papers  were  acquired  by  the  State  of  New  York  with  the  George  Clinton 
papers  in  1 853  and  are  now  in  the  State  Library. 


Washington's  headquarters  at  Newburgh 

27 


On  April  20,  1777,  at  Kingston,  New  York  declared  itself  an 
independent  state  and  adopted  a  constitution;  and  on  the  9th  of 
July  George  Clinton,  soldier  and  statesman,  became  the  first  governor, 
serving  as  such  continuously  until  1804,  save  for  the  intervening  term  of 
John  Jay — 1795  to  1801.  Driven  from  Kingston  by  the  incursion 
of  the  enemy  and  the  burning  of  the  place,  the  Legislature  held  its 
second  session  in  1788  at  Poughkeepsie,  and  for  the  next  six  years 
wandered  from  Poughkeepsie  to  Kingston  and  Albany,  as  the  fortunes 
of  war  determined  its  safety,  in  1 784  it  met  in  New  York  and  there 
remained  until  1786  with  the  exception  of  holding  sessions  at  Pouglv 
keepsie  in  1788  and  1795  and  at  Albany  in  1789  and  1794.  In  1797 
the  capital  was  located  permanently  at  Albany.  At  his  headquarters 
in  Newburgh  in  1782  Washington  could  have  founded  a  kingdom 
and  become  its  king.  Royal  state  was  pressed  upon  him,  but  he 
indignantly  refused  its  proffer  and  sternly  rebuked  the  devoted  officers 
who  made  it;  and  at  Newburgh  in  1783  he  disbanded  the  continental 
army.  In  1788  at  Poughkeepsie,  New  York  ratified  the  federal 
Constitution,  mainly  by  the  persuasion  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  her 
great  constructive  statesman;  and  on  the  30th  of  April  1789,  George 
Washington  on  the  balcony  of  Federal  Hall  in  Wall  street,  took  the 
oath  of  office  as  President  of  the  Republic  he  had  created,  New  York 
remaining  the  seat  of  the  general  government  until  December  1790. 
Thus,  on  the  Hudson,  statehood  was  ordained,  the  monarchy  rejected, 
the  national  Constitution  confirmed,  and  the  nation  itself  established. 
Of  the  36  governors  the  State  has  had,  20  have  hailed  from  the 
Hudson ;  and  it  has  given  to  the  Union  four  presidents  —  Van  Buren, 
Arthur,  Roosevelt,  and  Cleveland  as  he  entered  upon  his  second  term. 

It  will  be  impossible  to  detail  the  history  that  has  been  made  upon 
the  Hudson  since  New  York  became  a  state,  or  even  to  mention  the 
names  of  many  of  her  citizens  who  within  the  period  indicated  have 
guided  her  progress  or  contributed  to  her  prestige  and  power ;  but  a 
few  may  be  alluded  to.  The  11th  of  July  1804  was  perhaps  the 
saddest  day  in  the  annals  of  the  State,  when  at  Weehawken  on 
the  Hudson,  Aaron  Burr  fatally  wounded  Alexander  Hamilton  in  a 
duel,  leaving  Hamilton's  memory  sacred  as  a  martyr,  as  he  was 
already  exalted  as  a  statesman.  On  the  7th  of  August  1807  Robert 
Fulton  steered  the  Clermont  from  New  York  to  Albany  —  the  first 
successful  attempt  at  steam  navigation,  the  second  illustrious  ascent  of 
the  Hudson,  fitly  commemorated  in  connection  with  the  first.  At  the 
mouth  of  the  Hudson  on  the  26th  of  October  1 825  DeWitt  Clinton, 

28 


29 


as  the  happy  phrase  says,  "married  Lake  Erie  to  the  Atlantic,"  and 
the  great  artificial  channel  which  crosses  the  State  from  west  to  east 
and  empties  into  the  Hudson  at  Cohoes  was  opened  to  the  commerce 
of  the  continent.  In  1784  the  Regents  of  the  University  met  in  New 
York  and  granted  a  charter  to  Columbia  College;  in  his  message 
of  1795  Governor  George  Clinton  recommended  the  establishment 
of  common  schools  and  annual  appropriations  for  their  maintenance 
ensued,  and  in  1812  the  Legislature  at  Albany  organized  the  State 
common  school  system  which,  in  its  principal  features,  has  been  adopted 
by  nearly  every  American  state.  And  throughout,  while  credit  is 
to  be  given  to  the  representatives  from  all  sections  for  the  130  years 
of  legislation  promotive  of  the  common  weal,  it  is  not  to  be  for- 
gotten that  all  legislation  has  been  enacted  on  the  Hudson.  The 
business  energies  of  the  State  have  there  also  had  their  utmost  con- 
spicuous expression.    It  has  both  the  capital  and  the  metropolis. 

In  the  harbor  of  New  York  stands  the  typical  figure  of  "  Liberty 
enlightening  the  world."  It  symbolizes  also  the  intellectual  supremacy 
of  New  York  where  Bryant  sang  and  Irving  wrote  and  Morse 
invented.  The  empire  of  mind  there  declares  itself  in  letters  and 
science  and  the  arts,  in  the  multitudinous  sheets  of  the  daily  press, 
in  museums  and  galleries  and  observatories  and  universities,  in  pro- 
fessional standards  and  rewards,  in  the  acquisition  and  diffusion  of 
knowledge.  The  story  of  the  Hudson  is  here  told  as  fully,  if  not 
as  adequately,  as  space  permits.  In  the  charm  of  its  scenery,  in  its 
legends  as  told  by  Irving  and  other  writers,  in  its  history,  in  its  political 
rank  and  martial  glory,  in  its  growth  and  commerce  and  wealth,  in 
all  the  appointments  of  civilization,  where  is  its  superior  ?  Henry 
Hudson  explored  better  than  he  knew  when  he  sought  the  gems  of 
the  east  and  held  the  promise  of  the  west. 

Charles  Elliott  Fitch 


30 


George  Washington  :  took  the  oath  of  office  as  the  first  President 
of  the  United  States  on  April  30,  1789  on  the  open  balcony  of  Federal 
Hall  in  New  York  city  within  view  of  the  mouth  of  the  Hudson  river. 


Horatio  Gates  :  general  in  the  United  States  army.  Commanding 
officer  at  the  battle  of  Saratoga,  October  7,  1777.  Member  of  the 
New  York  Legislature  in  1800. 


Philip  Schuyler  :  soldier  and  statesman  ;  promoter  of  the  Erie 
canal  ;  born  at  Albany  in  1733  and  died  there  in  1804  „•  for  many  years 
conspicuous  public  leader  in  the  valley  of  the  Hudson. 


Robert  Morris  :  patriot  and  statesman  ;  financier  of  the  Revolution. 


Gideon  Hawley  :  first  Superintendent  of  Common  Schools  in  New 
York  State  and  in  the  country  ;  elected  January  14,  1813  ;  Secretary  of 
the  Board  of  Regents  ;  Regent  of  the  University  of  the  State  of  New 
York  from  1842  to  1870. 


Links  of  the  great  chain  stretched  across  the  Hudson  river  at  West  Point  in  1778  to  keep  British  war  vessels 
from  ascending  the  river.  Three  links  presented  to  the  State  Library  in  1858  by  Gen.  Franklin  Townsend  of  Albany, 
a  great  grandson  of  the  maker.    The  above  autographs  are  reproduced  from  documents  in  the  State  Library. 


31 


33 


^&  A-J^n--£-JZ  CT^-C^  r-^^o  C^^~^=>^  C^-tsZk.  /$ut-<?  £ct.<?^i  '-l5>-^ ,  <2i-  /  €^Kj  tX~<f 

(2.<&e^etS>  A^-^x'c  fr^yZ-'J^?^  d£f^^fr«j>#j#L  07^4^^/, 


Washington's  opinions  of  the  surviving  generals  of  the  Revolution 

The  facsimiles  show  the  first  two  pages  of*  a  paper  prepared  by  Washington  in  the  winter  of  1791-92  after  the  defeat  of  Cen.  Arthur  St  Clair 
by  the  Indians  in  the  autumn  of  1791  in  Ohio,  in  anticipation  of  the  necessity  of  appointing  some  one  to  succeed  him  in  the  command  of  the  army. 
Twenty-three  officers  are  mentioned  in  the  series  and  Washington  gives  his  opinion  of  the  qualifications  of  sixteen  of  them  for  the  office  in  question. 


34 


r 


&£^t./L 


viz.  of  Generals  Lincoln.  Steuben.  Moultrie.  Mcintosh.  Wayne,  Weeden.  Hand.  Scott.  Huntington.  W.lk.nson.  Gist.  Irvine.  Morgan. 
Putnam.  Pinckney  and  Gov.  H.  Lee.  This  document  with  other  Washington  memorials  in  the  State  Library  came  into  the  possession  of  the 
State  of  New  York  by  purchase  from  Mrs  Ella  Bosset  Washington  in  1871. 


35 


36 


The  autographs  on  pages  36  and  37  are  from  original  documents  in  the  State  Library.  In  the  order  of 
arrangement  they  are  as  follows  ; 

Johannes  de  Laet:  author  of  de  Nieuuie  Wereldt,  a  scholarly  work  printed  in  1625,  which  gives  one  of 
the  eaf  1  iest  descriptions  of  New  Netherland  and  the  first  full  account  of  the  Hudson  river  ;  a  director  of  the 
Dutch  West  India  Company  and  a  partner  in  the  colony  of  Rensselaerswyck.  Taken  from  the  instructions  to 
Gerrit  Swart,  schout  of  the  colony  of  Rensselaerswyck,  May  8,  1652. 

Kiliaen  Van  Rensselaer:  first  patroon  of  the  colony  of  Rensselaerswyck.  Taken  from  instructions  to 
Arent  van  Curler  and  Pieter  Wyncoop,  regarding  the  purchase  of  the  land  at  Katskill,  September  10,  1643. 

Adam  Roelants  Groen:  from  Dokkum,  in  Friesland,  first  schoolmaster  of  New  Netherland.  Taken  from 
a  power  of  attorney  to  Jacob  Tysen,  to  take  charge  of  his  children  during  his  absence  in  the  West  Indies. 
December  4,  1649. 

Johannes  Megapolensis  (Greek  for  Grootstadt) :  minister  of  the  colony  of  Rensselaerswyck,  1642-49,  and 
the  first  minister  along  the  Hudson  river  outside  of  what  is  now  the  city  of  New  York.  Taken  from  deed  from 
the  Indians  for  the  land  at  Katskill,  dated  May  24,  1649. 

Adriaen  van  der  Donck:  schout,  or  sheriff,  of  the  colony  of  Rensselaerswyck,  1 64 1  -46,  afterwards  a  bold 
champion  of  civic  liberty  and  one  of  the  leading  opponents  of  Stuyvesant.  Taken  from  an  agreement  to  pay  the 
balance  of  his  debt  to  Thomas  Chambers,  dated  May  3,  1646.  This  is  the  first  reproduction  of  his  real 
signature. 

Peter  Minuit:  Director  General  of  New  Netherland.  Taken  from  the  certificate  of  purchase  from  the 
Indians  of  land  along  the  Delaware  river,  from  Cape  Henlopen  to  the  mouth  of  the  river,  for  the  behoof  of 
Samuel  Godyn  and  Samuel  Blommaert,  both  directors  of  the  Dutch  West  India  Company,  dated  July  15,  1630. 

Wouter  van  Twiller:  Director  General  of  New  Netherland.  1633-38.  Taken  from  a  contract  with 
George  Rapaelje,  respecting  the  use  of  two  cows,  June  4,  1638. 

Pieter  Stuyvesant:  Director  General  of  New  Netherland.  1647-64.  Taken  from  a  pass  to  Jeremias  van 
Rensselaer,  the  third  son  of  the  first  patroon,  to  sail  to  Holland  in  the  ship  "  Beaver."    October  28,  1655. 

Richard  Nicolls:  first  English  governor  of  the  Province  of  New  York.  Taken  from  agreement  with  the 
Esopus  Indians,  relative  to  the  sale  of  their  lands  west  and  southwest  of  the  river  called  Kahanckson,  October 
7,  1665. 


37 


-{{nf  ^Hrph te^z*$u ?&dmaf  <s^jrfy  w/f/^fy 
&x.^nf  cwt  'f  ZfysratprMf  /n&fa&a    ^aarrtt  agouti  J  J 

$c  /hi$i<rrP'{fj>  ^#&t  W<rfu*t  ^'fJus 

-fan/  asi^rf/!*  &ac*  <rr  i'afcY<  / f/htf*  .  . 


Religious  freedom  made  the  earliest  progress  in  New  York  because  it  was  the  necessity  of  a  mixed  population.  It  is  recog- 
nized  in  the  early  charters,  and  in  the  instructions  to  the  governors,  both  Dutch  and  English.  The  Dutch  exacted  and  the  English 
conceded  it  at  the  conquest  of  1664.  It  was  frequently  asserted  in  both  the  primary  and  representative  assemblages.  The  first 
General  Assembly  of  the  colony,  in  New  York  city  in  1683,  was  undoubtedly  the  first  Legislature  in  the  world  to  put  the  pledge 
of  complete  religious  freedom  into  a  written  constitution.  The  first  Constitution  of  the  State,  framed  in  1 777.  on  the  very  firing 
line  of  the  Revolution,  by  a  duly  authorized  convention,  provided  in  the  33d  article  for  the  complete  separation  of  state  and  church, 
and  in  the  38th  article  for  absolute  religious  toleration.  The  38th  article  is  here  reproduced  from  the  original  document-  in  the 
State  Library. 

38 


FROM  BRONZE  PANEL  IN  ASSEMBLY  PARLOR,  STATE  CAPITOL 

Hudson  trading  with  the  Manhattoes 
THE  BIRTH  OF  THE  HUDSON 

NATURE  did  not  just  happen  to  make  the  Hudson  river  and 
leave  it  for  the  Dutchmen  to  find.  Its  lines  were  laid  down 
far  in  the  remote  past  of  the  earth  and  it  had  long  passed 
the, climax  of  its  greatness  and  its  beauty  before  the  Half  Moon's  keel 
had  turned  its  waters.  As  the  French  came  in  from  the  north  along 
the  lines  of  great  wounds  in  the  earth's  crust,  the  St  Lawrence  and 
the  Champlain  valleys,  so  the  Hudson  valley  represents  another  such 
rupture  in  the  rocks,  where  the  outflowing  land  waters,  finding  the 
line  of  least  resistance,  made  this  their  path  to  the  sea.  This  ancient 
day  dates  back  to  the  time  when  the  great  Appalachian  mountain 
system  began  to  form  by  the  folding  up  of  the  rocks  under  the  shove 
and  stress  of  the  weight  of  Atlantic  ocean  waters.  This  irresistible 
force  from  the  sea,  pressing  the  soft  limestones,  shales  and  sandstones 
of  the  eastern  continent  border  against  the  stiff  unyielding  granites 
which  compose  the  Canadian  shield,  twisted  and  folded  the  more 
yielding  strata  or  broke  them  asunder  and  pushed  them  in  great  masses 
over  each  other.  And  in  this  way  the  belt  of  country  occupied  by 
this  great  Hudson  valley  was  broken  down  to  a  line  of  crushed  and 
downfallen  rocks  which  is  still  a  line  of  foreboding  weakness  in  the 
structure  of  our  continent.  On  every  hand  its  ancient  scars  are  to  be 
seen,  though  most  of  them  lie  buried  beneath  the  waters  of  the  river. 
Today  the  great  river  is  half  drowned  by  the  waters  of  the  ocean. 

39 


It  is  in  fact  an  estuary  from  Albany  southward,  the  sandbars  near  its 
mouth  are  the  overslaughs  below  Castleton  which  have  obstructed 
navigation  from  the  days  of  the  Dutchmen  to  this  day.  At  except 
tionally  high  tides  or  in  long  drought  the  salt  water  wedges  in  under 
the  fresh  almost  as  far  north  as  the  city  of  Hudson.  The  low  and 
rounded  valiey  from  Albany  northward  has  for  long,  long  ages  been 
the  seat  of  shallow  waters,  often  spreading  out  into  extensive  lakes, 
and  what  is  commonly  termed  the  Upper  Hudson  is  only  the  accessory 
headwaters  of  what  was  once  a  majestic  trunk  stream.  Southward 
the  river  hugs  its  ancient  deep  cut  channel,  the  more  as  it  gets  closer 
in  between  the  steep  walls  of  the  Highlands,  and  even  though  it 
spreads  out  at  places  still  farther  south,  there  it  lies  upon  and  buries 
its  ancient  banks. 

In  one  of  the  later  phases  of  the  river's  history  the  continent  stood 
far  higher  above  the  sea  than  it  does  today  and  the  valley  ran  100 
miles  out  beyond  the  point  of  Manhattan  island.  Then  its  waters, 
passing  in  tremendous  volume  through  a  majestic  gorge  which  they 
had  themselves  cut  out,  projected  themselves  over  the  now  buried 
edge  of  the  continent  into  the  waters  of  the  Atlantic  in  a  stupendous 
cataract,  just  as,  on  an  infinitely  smaller  scale,  the  waters  of  the 
Montmorency  precipitate  themselves  over  the  cliffs  below  Quebec 
into  the  St  Lawrence  river.  Then  the  earth's  crust  in  this  region 
began  one  of  those  rhythmic  oscillations  which  carry  it  up  or  down 
in  obedience  to  physical  laws  still  unexplained,  and  continued  till  the 
lower  reaches  of  the  ancient  valley  were  slowly  carried  down  beneath 
the  ocean  level  and  the  sea  rushed  in  to  take  the  place  where  the  fresh 
waters  had  flowed  so  long  and  freely. 

If  the  Half  Moon  had  arrived  on  its  voyage  of  discovery  in  the  year 
1609  of  the  Postglacial  period  its  skipper  would  have  tied  up  far  out 
beyond  the  outermost  reaches  of  New  York  bay  and  beheld  the 
amazing  spectacle  of  this  outpouring  tide  of  the  river  precipitating  itself 
over  the  edge  of  the  continent  and  there  he  must  have  rested,  excluded 
from  all  entrance  to  the  river  above  his  head.  The  way  was  not  yet 
open,  the  flood  gates  not  yet  let  down.  Far  up  the  stream  from  the 
Highlands  down,  the  river  was  flowing  through  a  profound  gorge  in 
the  rocks  a  thousand  feet  deeper  than  at  the  Highlands  today.  There 
where  the  engineers  are  now  trying  to  carry  a  gigantic  aqueduct 
beneath  the  river  from  the  west  shore  to  the  east,  no  rock  bottom  to 
the  canyon  has  yet  been  found  at  a  depth  of  more  than  600  feet 
beneath  the  present  bottom  of  the  stream. 

All  this  elevated  stream  must  be  depressed  to  let  the  Dutchmen  in 
and  the  earth  was  not  yet  prepared  for  the  opening  of  this  passage 
into  its  western  lands.  Indeed  there  was  no  Dutchman  about  in 
those  days. 

40 


To  the  same  ultimate  causes  which  gave  birth  to  the  St  Lawrence 
river  and  Lake  Champlain  is  due  the  valley  of  the  Hudson,  but  the 
course  of  its  history  has  been  somewhat  different  though  not  more 
varied  than  theirs.  Once  when  the  glacial  ice  stood  over  the  St 
Lawrence  and  blocked  the  flow  of  its  waters  all  the  drainage  from  the 
Great  Lakes  flowed  out  into  New  York  bay  by  way  of  the  Mohawk 
and  to  the  greater  volume  of  this  stream  we  owe  the  rounded  slopes 
of  the  upper  valley  and  the  deeper  gorges  of  the  lower. 

As  the  valley  became  the  scene  of  human  history  the  commanding 
highlands  of  the  narrow  thoroughfare  were  found  to  be  the  natural 
military  key  to  the  control  of  the  country  north  and  south  and  when 
issues  were  joined  between  one  party  in  control  of  the  northern  region 
and  another  in  possession  of  the  southern,  whether  between  French 
and  British  or  between  the  colonists  and  the  English,  it  was  inevitable 
that  those  issues  should  have  been  fought  to  their  solution  where  the 
waterways  at  the  north  controlled  by  the  one  opened  out  into  the 
lands  about  the  head  of  the  waterway  controlled  by  the  other. 

In  the  contour  and  altitude  of  crag  and  hill,  the  rock-directed  course 
of  the  streams,  the  retreats  of  shores,  the  jutting  headlands  and  islands, 
whose  shapes  are  due  to  the  geological  forces  which  acted  on  them, 
are  to  be  found  the  unconscious  guiding  influences  in  the  development 
of  the  train  of  human  events  in  this  region  so  pregnant  with  large 
records  on  the  pages  of  our  history. 

John  M.  Clarke 

9 


4! 


A  SCENE  ON  THE  BANKS  OF  THE  HUDSON 


OOL  shades  and  dews  are  round  my  way. 


And  silence  of  the  early  day  ; 
Mid  the  dark  rocks  that  watch  his  bed. 
Glitters  the  mighty  Hudson  spread, 
Unrippled,  save  by  drops  that  fall 
From  shrubs  that  fringe  his  mountain  wall  ; 
And  o'er  the  clear  still  water  swells 
The  music  of  the  Sabbath  bells. 

All,  save  this  little  nook  of  land, 

Circled  with  trees,  on  which  I  stand  ; 

All,  save  that  line  of  hills  which  lie 

Suspended  in  the  mimic  sky, — 

Seems  a  blue  void,  above,  below, 

Through  which  the  white  clouds  come  and  go  ; 

And  from  the  green  world's  farthest  steep 

1  gaze  into  the  airy  deep. 

Loveliest  of  loveiy  things  are  they, 
On  earth,  that  soonest  pass  away. 
The  rose  that  lives  its  little  hour 
Is  prized  beyond  the  sculptured  flower. 
Even  love,  long  tried  and  cherished  long, 
Becomes  more  tender  and  more  strong, 
At  thought  of  that  insatiate  grave 
From  which  its  yearnings  cannot  save. 

River  !  in  this  still  hour  thou  hast 
Too  much  of  heaven  on  earth  to  last ; 
Nor  long  may  thy  still  waters  lie, 
An  image  of  the  glorious  sky. 
Thy  fate  and  mine  are  not  repose, 
And  ere  another  evening  close, 
Thou  to  thy  tides  shalt  turn  again, 
And  I  to  seek  the  crowd  of  men. 


The  Catskills  to  the  northward  rise, 

With  massive  swell  and  towering  crest, — 

The  old'time  "mountains  of  the  skys," 
The  threshold  of  eternal  rest  I 


William  Cullen  Bryant 


Wallace  Bruce 


42 


AUTOGRAPHS  OF  GOVERNORS  OF  NEW  YORK  STATE 


44 


CATSKILL  MOUNTAINS 


A  ND,  lo  !  the  Catskills  print  the  distant  sky, 
/    V  And  o'er  their  airy  tops  the  faint  clouds  driven, 
So  softly  blending,  that  the  cheated  eye 
Forgets  or  which  is  earth  or  which  is  heaven, — 
Sometimes,  like  thunderclouds,  they  shade  the  even, 
Till,  as  you  nearer  draw,  each  wooded  height 
Puts  off  the  azure  hues  by  distance  given  : 
And  slowly  break  upon  the  enamored  sight. 
Ravine,  crag,  field,  and  wood,  in  colors  true  and  bright. 

Mount  to  the  cloud'kissed  summit.    Far  below 
Spreads  the  vast  champaign  like  a  shoreless  sea. 
Mark  yonder  narrow  streamlet  feebly  flow, 
Like  idle  brook  that  creeps  ingloriously  ; 
Can  that  the  lovely,  lordly  Hudson  be, 
Stealing  by  town  and  mountain  ?    Who  beholds, 
At  break  of  day,  this  scene,  when,  silently, 
Its  map  of  field,  wood,  hamlet,  is  unrolled, 
While,  in  the  east,  the  sun  uprears  his  locks  of  gold, 

Till  earth  receive  him  never  can  forget, 
Even  when  returned  amid  the  city's  roar, 
The  fairy  vision  haunts  his  memory  yet, 
As  in  the  sailor's  fancy  shines  the  shore. 
Imagination  cons  the  moment  o'er, 
When  first'discovered,  awestruck  and  amazed. 
Scarce  loftier  Jove — whom  men  and  gods  adore — 
On  the  extended  earth  beneath  him  gazed, 
Temple,  and  tower,  and  town,  by  human  insect  raised. 

Blow,  scented  gale,  the  snowy  canvas  swell, 
And  flow,  thou  silver,  eddying  current,  on. 
Grieve  we  to  bid  each  lovely  point  farewell, 
That,  ere  its  graces  half  are  seen,  is  gone. 
By  woody  bluff  we  steal,  by  leaning  lawn, 
By  palace,  village,  cot,  a  sweet  surprise, 
At  every  turn  the  vision  breaks  upon  ; 
Till  to  our  wondering  and  uplifted  eyes 
The  highland  rocks  and  hills  in  solemn  grandeur  rise. 

#  *  *■ 

Theodore  S.  Fay 


46 


THE  HUDSON 


'WAS  a  vision  of  childhood  that  came  with  its  dawn. 


The  nurse  told  the  tale  when  the  shadows  grew  long, 
And  the  mother's  soft  lullaby  breathed  it  in  song. 

'There  flows  a  fair  stream  by  the  hills  of  the  west," — 


'  Along  its  smooth  margin  thy  fathers  have  played  ; 
Beside  its  deep  waters  their  ashes  are  laid." 

I  wandered  afar  from  the  land  of  my  birth, 
I  saw  the  old  rivers,  renowned  upon  earth. 
But  fancy  still  painted  that  wide-flowing  stream 
With  the  many-hued  pencil  of  infancy's  dream. 

1  saw  the  green  banks  of  the  castle-crowned  Rhine, 

Where  the  grapes  drink  the  moonlight  and  change  it  to  wine  ; 

1  stood  by  the  Avon,  whose  waves  as  they  glide 

Still  whisper  his  glory  who  sleeps  at  their  side. 

But  my  heart  would  still  yearn  for  the  sound  of  the  waves 
That  sing  as  they  flow  by  my  forefathers'  graves  ; 
If  manhood  yet  honors  my  cheek  with  a  tear, 
I  care  not  who  sees  it, —  no  blush  for  it  here  ! 

Farewell  to  the  deep-bosomed  stream  of  the  West  I 
1  fling  this  loose  blossom  to  float  on  its  breast  ; 
Nor  let  the  dear  love  of  its  children  grow  cold. 
Till  the  channel  is  dry  where  its  waters  have  rolled  ! 


Ere  the  curtain  that  covered  life's  day-star  was  drawn  ; 


She  sang  to  her  boy  as  he  lay  on  her  breast ; 


Oliver  Wendell  Holmes 


-17 


FULTON  AND  THE  CLERMONT 


MORE  than  a  century  ago,  an  English  poet,  Erasmus  Darwin, 
the  grandfather  of  the  illustrious  scientist,  Charles  Darwin, 
made  this  prophecy : 

Soon  shall  thy  arm,  unconquered  steam,  afar 
Drag  the  slow  barge,  or  drive  the  rapid  car  ; 
Or,  on  wide'waving  wings  expanded,  bear 
The  flying  chariot  through  the  fields  of  air. 

It  was  generally  thought  that  this  verse  was  the  product  of  a 
disordered  imagination,  but  its  predictions  have  all  been  fulfilled.  In 
1807  Robert  Fulton  solved  the  problem  of  steam  navigation;  in  1827 
Robert  Stevenson  built  the  first  steam  locomotive;  and  in  1909  the 
Wright  brothers  and  others  with  their  aeroplanes  are  subduing  the 
air.  There  have  been  innumerable  inventions,  and  a  vast  multitude 
of  inventors :  but  the  great  inventors,  they  who  have  revolutionized 
scientific  processes  or  made  new  application  of  the  forces  of  nature  to 
the  progress  of  mankind,  have  been  very  few.  Of  these  Robert  Fulton 
was  eminently  one.  He  was  a  mechanical  genius  of  the  highest 
order,  as  he  was  also  a  rarely  gifted  man  in  various  lines  of  achieve- 
ment. His  enduring  fame,  however,  rests  upon  his  ascent  of 
the  Hudson  with  the  Clermont  in  the  fall  of  1807.  This  was  both  a 
scientific  and  an  economic  success — the  forerunner  of  the  keels  which 
have  cut  the  rivers  and  the  fleets  which  have  whitened  the  oceans 
for  over  100  years.  For  this  his  name  will  be  remembered  through 
the  ages. 

He  was  born  in  Little  Britain  township  (now  Fulton)  near  Lancaster, 
Pa.,  November  14,  1765.  His  father,  Robert,  was  a  farmer  in 
moderate  circumstances,  who  died  when  his  son  was  but  3  years  old. 
His  early  schooling  was  in  Lancaster  under  a  Quaker  by  the  name  of 
Johnson,  who  thought  him  a  dull  scholar  and  not  infrequently  reproved 
him  for  his  idleness.  But  he  was  busy  outside,  if  not  inside,  the  school- 
room. He  frequented  the  shops,  in  which  he  was  a  favorite, 
and  showed  decided  skill  both  in  drawing  and  mechanics.  Many 
stories  are  told  of  his  youthful  inventions  and  of  the  projects,  some 
visionary  and  some  practical,  of  which  his  head  was  full.  He 
resolved  to  be  an  artist  and  at  the  age  of  17  went  to  Philadelphia 
to  study  his  profession,  in  which  he  at  once  showed  talent,  and 
was  faithful  and  industrious  in  its  pursuit.    He  painted  a  number 

49 


of  portraits  and  landscapes  of  more  than  ordinary  merit,  and 
made  many  friends  during  the  next  four  years,  among  them 
Benjamin  Franklin,  who  encouraged  him  in  his  work  and  doubtless 
talked  with  him  about  his  own  discoveries  and  inventions,  possibly 
giving  him  a  bent  toward  the  vocation  he  afterward  adopted. 
Another  serviceable  friend  was  Benjamin  West,  then  at  the  hight 
of  his  reputation  as  an  artist,  with  whom  he  frequently  corres^ 
ponded  and  upon  whose  advice  he  went  to  England  in  1786. 
He  was  engaged  in  his  profession  in  London  for  over  10  years, 
producing  many  excellent  pictures,  being  well  paid  therefor,  and 
receiving  the  constant  counsel  and  good  offices  of  West.  During  his 
residence  in  England,  however,  he  became  well  acquainted  with  men 
of  high  scientific  attainments,  Sir  John  Sinclair,  president  of  the  Board 
of  Agriculture,  and  the  Duke  of  Bridgewater,  the  founder  of  the  canal 
system  of  Great  Britain,  being  among  them.  It  is  said  that  the  latter 
named  nobleman  induced  Fulton  to  abandon  art  and  take  to  the 
study  of  mechanical  science.  He  certainly  was  very  active  along  the 
new  line  during  the  latter  portion  of  his  stay  in  England.  He  published 
a  treatise  on  canal  navigation,  included  in  which  were  suggested 
improvements  in  bridges  and  aqueducts,  and  he  built  on  the  Shrews- 
bury  canal  at  Long  and  across  the  river  Dee  in  Scotland  aqueducts 
upon  his  plan.  So  early  as  1 793  he  conceived  the  idea  of  propelling 
vessels  by  steam.  In  1 794  he  obtained  a  patent  for  a  double-inclined 
plane  for  raising  and  lowering  boats  in  canal  locks,  and  also  patents  for 
several  minor  devices.  About  this  time  he  sent  copies  of  his  work  on 
canals  to  Governor  George  Clinton  and  Albert  Gallatin,  Secretary  of 
the  Treasury,  accompanied  by  earnest  arguments  for  the  construction 
of  canals  in  the  United  States;  and  it  is  claimed  that  in  1807  he  made 
the  first  public  appeal  in  behalf  of  a  canal  from  Lake  Erie  to  the 
Hudson.  He  was  afterward  one  of  the  commission  appointed  to 
superintend  the  construction  of  the  Erie  canal. 

Late  in  1797  Fulton  went  to  Paris,  which  was  his  principal  place  of 
residence  until  his  return  to  his  own  country  in  1806.  There  he 
became  intimate  with  Joel  Barlow,  afterward  the  United  States 
Minister  to  France  and  the  well  known  author  of  "  Hasty  Pudding," 
the  "Columbiad"  dedicated  to  Fulton,  and  other  patriotic  poems. 
They  were  mutually  interested  in  poetry,  painting  and  mechanics. 
There  also  he  was  brought  into  close  relations  with  Robert  R. 
Livingston,  who,  while  chancellor  of  the  New  York  Court  of 
Chancery,  administered  the  oath  of  office  to  President  Washington, 

50 


51 


and  was  Minister  to  France  from  1801  till  1804.  Livingston  was  a 
student  in  mechanics  and  science  and  was  deeply  interested  in  steam 
navigation.  Many  consultations  between  the  two  resulted  in  the 
building  of  an  experimental  boat,  at  their  joint  expense,  in  1803, 
which  was  successfully  launched  upon  the  Seine.  She  was  66 
feet  long  and  8  feet  wide  and  moved  by  wheels,  but  did  not 
meet  expectations  as  to  speed.  But  Fulton  and  Livingston  then  and 
there  determined  to  build  a  larger  and  more  powerful  vessel  for  the 
Hudson,  and  Livingston  had  already  secured  from  the  Legislature 
of  New  York  exclusive  privileges  for  the  navigation  by  steam  of  the 
waters  of  the  State.  During  his  stay  in  France  Fulton  devoted 
much  attention  to  experiments  in  submarine  gun  explosives  and  diving 
boats,  his  blowing  up  of  the  Dorothea  in  Walmar  Roads  near 
Deal,  in  1805  in  the  presence  of  William  Pitt,  the  English  prime 
minister,  being  his  most  notable  exhibition  in  this  regard.  He  continued 
his  experiments  with  torpedoes  and  his  efforts  to  obtain  governmental 
sanction  for  their  use,  and  in  1813  took  out  a  United  States  patent  "  for 
several  improvements  in  the  art  of  maritime  warfare  and  means  of 
injuring  and  destroying  ships  and  vessels  by  igniting  gunpowder  under 
water  ";  but  he  does  not  seem  materially  to  have  profited  by  his  inven- 
tions  in  submarine  warfare.  Its  development  was  reserved  until  a 
later  day  than  his. 

Fulton  returned  to  America  in  October  1806  to  build  his  steamboat, 
and  made  his  home  thereafter  in  New  York  city.  It  would  be  perti- 
nent to  describe  a  few  of  the  efforts  made  by  others  prior  to  Fulton's 
supreme  success,  but  only  a  passing  allusion  may  be  indulged  in.  Some 
who  tried  came  very  near  to  winning  the  laurels  which  he  bore  away, 
but  they  just  missed  inventing  the  special  devices  or  commanding  the 
resources  that  brought  him  honor.  The  idea  of  steam  navigation 
was  in  the  air  for  many  years  and  the  list  of  those  who  sought 
to  give  it  expression  is  a  long  one.  As  early  as  1690  a  German 
by  the  name  of  Papin  published  a  work  in  which  he  proposed 
steam  as  a  universal  motive  power,  but  the  thought  died  with  its 
utterance.  In  1763  William  Henry  is  said  to  have  put  a  model 
steamboat  on  the  Canastoga  in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania.  There 
follow  the  experiments  of  James  Kumsey  on  the  Potomac  in 
1784  and  on  the  Thames  in  1792;  those  of  John  Fitch  on  the 
Delaware  in  1787  and  on  Collect  pond,  New  York,  in  1796.  His 
boats  were  propelled  by  oars  or  paddles  at  the  sides,  and  he  is 
conceded  to  have  come  nearer  to  attaining  success  than  any  one 

52 


FROM   PAINTING  BY  BFNJAMIN  WEST  IN   POSSESSION  OF  FULTON'S  GRANDSON,  MR  ROBERT  FULTON 
LUDLOW  OF  CLAVERACK,  N.  Y. 

Robert  Fulton 

else  before  Fulton.  Other  attempts  are  those  of  Nathan  Read  at 
Danvers,  Mass.  in  1789;  of  Elijah  Ormsbee  at  Providence  in  1792; 
of  Samuel  Morey  on  the  Connecticut  between  1790  and  1794  ;  and  of 
Colonel  John  Stevens  of  Hoboken  on  the  Hudson  in  1804.  It  would 
require  too  many  technical  terms  and  occupy  too  much  space  to  detail 
the  points  of  these  and  other  inventions,  and  in  the  comparison  it  is 
sufficient  in  defining  the  superiority  of  Fulton  to  quote  the  following 
from  his  biography  by  Reigart :  "  In  none  of  those  who  have  attempted 
this  great  object  were  united  those  qualities  and  acquirements  to  which 
Mr  Fulton  owed  his  success :  that  is  to  say,  a  genius  for  invention, 
mathematical  and  philosophical  science,  mechanical  knowledge,  and, 
what  is  rare  in  combination  with  these,  considerable  practice." 

53 


Fulton's  boat  was  built  in  the  spring  of  1807  and  named  the  Cler- 
mont after  the  estate  of  Chancellor  Livingston  on  the  Hudson.  She 
was  1 50  feet  long,  1 3  feet  wide  and  7  feet  deep,  and  measured  1 60 
tons.  The  engine  was  24  inches  diameter  of  cylinder  with  3  feet 
stroke.  The  boiler  was  of  the  low  pressure  pattern,  20  feet  long, 
7  feet  deep  and  8  feet  broad.  Her  side  wheels  were  15  feet  in 
diameter  with  buckets  4  feet  wide  dipping  2  feet  into  the  water.  She 
started  on  her  first  trip  from  New  York  to  Albany  on  the  1 1  th  of 
August  1807  at  1  o'clock  p.  m.  with  Fulton,  a  few  friends  and 
mechanics,  and  six  passengers  on  board,  and  with  an  incredulous  and 
jeering  crowd  witnessing  her  departure.  She  was  met  by  wondering 
spectators  on  the  shores  and  on  the  crafts  of  the  river  throughout  her 
passage,  to  many  of  whom  she  appeared  as  a  monster  breathing 
flames  and  smoke,  for  using  only  pine  wood  for  fuel  she  sent  high  a 
column  of  ignited  vapor,  and  sparks  flew  thick  and  fast.  The  trip 
is  best  described  by  Fulton  himself  in  a  letter  to  the  "American 
Citizen,"  as  follows : 

To  the  Editor  of  the  "American  Citizen  "  : 

Sir :  I  arrived  this  afternoon,  at  four  o'clock,  in  the  steamboat  from 
Albany.  As  the  success  of  my  expeiiment  gives  me  great  hopes  that 
such  boats  may  be  rendered  of  great  importance  to  my  country,  to 
prevent  erroneous  opinions  and  give  some  satisfaction  to  the  friends 
of  useful  improvements,  you  will  have  the  goodness  to  publish  the 
following  statement  of  facts  : 

I  left  New  York  on  Monday  at  one  o'clock  and  arrived  at  Clermont, 
the  seat  of  Chancellor  Livingston,  at  one  o'clock;  time,  24  hours, 
distance,  1 1 0  miles.  On  Wednesday  I  departed  from  the  Chan- 
cellor's at  nine  in  the  morning,  and  arrived  at  Albany  at  five  in  the 
afternoon;  distance,  40  miles,  time,  8  hours.  The  sum  is  150  miles 
in  32  hours,  equal  to  near  five  miles  an  hour. 

On  Thursday,  at  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  left  Albany,  and 
arrived  at  the  Chancellor's  at  six  o'  clock  in  the  evening.  1  started 
from  thence  at  seven  and  arrived  at  New  York  at  four  in  the  after- 
noon; time,  30  hours,  space  run  through,  150  miles,  equal  to  five  miles  an 
hour.  Throughout  my  whole  way,  both  going  and  returning,  the  wind 
was  ahead ;  no  advantage  could  be  derived  from  my  sails :  the  whole 
has,  therefore,  been  performed  by  the  power  of  the  steam-engine. 
I  am,  Sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

ROBERT  FULTON 

Thus  modestly  does  its  author  announce  one  of  the  most  stupendous 
events  in  human  history.  His  words  are  golden  now.  In  a  subse- 
quent letter  to  his  friend,  Barlow,  he  as  modestly,  as  confidently, 
predicts  some  of  the  results  of  his  undertaking.    He  says  : 

54 


Having  employed  much  time,  money  and  zeal  in  accomplishing  this 
work,  it  gives  me,  as  it  will  you,  great  pleasure  to  see  it  fully  answered 
my  expectations.  It  will  give  a  quick  and  cheap  conveyance  to  the 
merchandise  on  the  Mississippi,  Missouri,  and  other  great  rivers,  which 
are  now  laying  open  their  treasures  to  the  enterprise  of  our  country- 
men; and,  although  the  prospect  of  personal  emolument  has  been 
some  inducement  to  me,  yet  I  feel  infinitely  more  pleasure  in  reflecting 
on  the  immense  advantage  my  country  will  derive  from  the 
invention. 

Eight  years  of  life  remained  to  Robert  Fulton  after  his  crowning 
triumph.  They  were  years  of  incessant  activity — of  improving  his 
great  invention  and  conceiving  new  ones ;  of  the  building  of  many 
boats  for  the  Hudson  and  of  ferry  boats  for  the  East  river ;  of 
infringements  of  his  patent,  which  he  was  obliged  to  protect  in  the 
courts ;  of  constant  attacks  upon  his  franchises ;  of  unlawful  compe- 
tition  and  ceaseless  vexation.  He  failed  to  secure  due  pecuniary 
returns  for  his  enterprise,  was  harassed  by  litigation,  and  at  the  end 
he  was  insolvent.  In  his  last  year,  when  the  United  States  was  at 
war  with  Great  Britain  and  New  York  was  threatened  by  a  hostile 
fleet,  he  built  by  direction  of  the  government  a  steam  war  vessel — the 
first  of  its  kind.  It  was  named  Fulton  the  First,  and  was  launched 
on  the  East  river  October  29,  1814.  Fulton  died  on  the  23d  of 
February  1815  at  the  age  of  49  years.  His  death  was  attended 
by  extraordinary  demonstrations  of  public  esteem.  There  were 
glotving  eulogies  and  symbols  of  sorrow  in  the  press ;  sermons  and 
orations  were  pronounced  in  his  honor ;  the  corporation  of  the  city, 
literary  institutions  and  scientific  societies  paid  tribute  to  his  worth; 
the  Legislature  of  the  State  wore  mourning  badges  for  one  who, 
although  never  holding  public  office,  had  done  more  than  any  other 
citizen  for  the  economic  welfare  of  the  State.  And  the  funeral  pro- 
cession was  remarkable  for  its  numbers,  its  quality  and  its  dignity, 
including  representatives  of  the  national,  state  and  municipal  govern- 
ments, and  of  learned  and  civic  associations.  He  was  buried  from 
Trinity  Church  on  the  25th  of  February,  and  his  body  rests  in  its 
historic  ground,  in  the  vault  of  the  Livingston  family  into  which  family 
he  married.  On  the  south  wall  of  the  church  is  the  tablet  to  his 
memory  placed  there  by  the  American  Society  of  Mechanical 
Engineers  in  1901.  By  it  rushes  the  mighty,  never-ebbing  tide  of 
the  activities  of  Broadway,  and  not  far  distant  is  the  majestic  flow 
of  the  river  upon  which  he  ordained  a  revolution  in  navigation. 


55 


EXTRACT  FROM  ROBERT  JUET'S  LOG- BOOK 1 

THE  fifteenth,2  in  the  morning  was  misty,  untill  the  sunne  arose : 
then  it  cleered.  So  wee  weighed  with  the  wind  at  south, 
and  ran  up  into  the  river  twentie  leagues,  passing  by  high 
mountaines.  Wee  had  a  very  good  depth,  as  sixe,  seven,  eight,  nine, 
ten,  twelve,  and  thirteene  fathomes,  and  great  store  of  salmons  in  the 
river.  This  morning  our  two  savages  got  out  of  a  port  and  swam 
away.  After  wee  were  under  sayle,  they  called  to  us  in  scorne.  At 
night  we  came  to  other  mountaines,  which  lie  from  the  rivers  side.  .  . 

The  sixteenth,  faire  and  very  hot  weather.  In  the  morning  our 
boat  went  againe  to  fishing,  but  could  catch  but  few,  by  reason  their 
canoes  had  beene  there  all  night.  This  morning  the  people  came 
aboord,  and  brought  us  eares  of  Indian  corne,  and  pompions,  and 
tabacco:  which  wee  bought  for  trifles.  Wee  rode  still  all  day, 
and  filled  fresh  water ;  at  night  wee  weighed  and  went  two  leagues 
higher,  and  had  shoald  water :  so  wee  anchored  till  day. 

The  seventeenth,  faire  sun- shining  weather,  and  very  hot.  In  the 
morning,  as  soone  as  the  sun  was  up,  we  set  sayle,  and  ran  up  sixe 
leagues  higher,  and  found  shoalds  in  the  middle  of  the  channell,  and 
small  ilands,  but  seven  fathoms  water  on  both  sides.    .  . 

The  eighteenth,  in  the  morning,  was  faire  weather,  and  we  rode 
still.  In  the  after- noone  our  masters  mate  went  on  land  with  an  o'd 
savage,  a  governor  of  the  countrey,  who  carried  him  to  his  house,  and 
made  him  good  cheere.  The  nineteenth  was  faire  and  hot  weather  : 
at  the  floud,  being  neere  eleven  of  the  clocke,  wee  weighed,  and  ran 
higher  up  two  leagues  above  the  shoalds,  and  had  no  lesse  water  than 
five  fathoms;  wee  anchored,  and  rode  in  eight  fathomes.    .  . 

The  twentieth,  in  the  morning  was  faire  weather.  Our  masters 
mate  with  foure  men  more  went  up  with  our  boat  to  sound  the  river, 
and  found  two  leagues  above  us  but  two  fathomes  water,  and  the 
channell  very  narrow ;  and  above  that  place,  seven  or  eight  fathomes. 
Toward  night  they  returned :  and  we  rode  still  all  night.  The  one 
and  twentieth  was  faire  weather,  and  the  wind  all  southerly:  we 
determined  yet  once  more  to  go  farther  up  into  the  river,  to  trie  what 
depth  and  breadth  it  did  beare ;  but  much  people  resorted  aboord.   .  . 

The  two  and  twentieth  was  faire  weather :  in  the  morning  our 
masters  mate  and  foure  more  of  the  companie  went  up  with  our  boat 
to  sound  the  river  higher  up.  .  .  This  night,  at  ten  of 
the  clocke,  our  boat  returned  in  a  showre  of  raine  from  sounding 
of  the  river ;  and  found  it  to  bee  at  an  end  for  shipping  to  goe  in.    .  . 

1  Juet  was  a  companion  of  Hudson  on  the  Half  Moon  and  kept  his  journal. 

2September  15,  1609.  It  is  supposed  that  the  Half  Moon  came  about  as  far  north  as  the  site  of  Albany 
and  that  the  small  boats  reached  the  place  where  Waterford  now  stands. 


56 


Fulton  monument  in  Trinity  churchyard 


THE  GATES  OF  THE  HUDSON 


SO  bright  the  day,  so  clear  the  sky. 
So  grand  the  scene  before  me. 
My  meaner  life  my  soul  puts  by, 
And  a  better  mood  comes  o'er  me. 

From  under  trees  whose  rustling  leaves 
Wear  all  their  autumn  glory, 

I  watch  the  brown  fields  far  below, 

And  the  headlands,  gray  and  hoary. 

I  see  the  beetling  Palisades. 

Whose  wrinkled  brows  forever, 
In  calms  and  storms,  in  lights  and  shades. 

Keep  watch  along  the  river. 

Such  watch,  of  old.  the  Magi  kept 
Along  the  sad  Euphrates  : — 

Our  eyeless  ones  have  never  slept. 
And  this  their  solemn  fate  is  : 


God  built  these  hills  in  barrier  long. 

And  then  he  opened  through  them 

These  gates  of  granite,  barred  so  strong 
He  only  might  undo  them  ; 

Through  them  he  lets  the  Hudson  flow 

For  slowly  counted  ages, 
The  while  the  nations  fade  and  grow 

Around  the  granite  ledges. 

He  bids  these  warders  watch  and  wait. 
Their  vigil  ne'er  forsaking. 

Forever  standing  by  the  gate. 

Not  moving  and  not  speaking. 

So,  all  earth's  day.  till  night  shall  fall, 
When  God  shall  send  his  orders. 

And  summon  at  one  trumpet'cal! 
The  grim  and  patient  warders. 


The  guards  shall  bow,  the  gates  shall  close 

Upon  the  obedient  river, 
And  then  no  more  the  Hudson  flows, 

Forever  and  forever. 

William  O shorn  Stoddard 


57 


 _:  r*^^ 

This  Fulton  letter  in  the  possession  of  Mr  Benj.  Myer  Brink,  Kingston,  N.  Y.  is  reproduced 
through  his  courtesy. 

New  York  Oct.  9th,  1807. 

Captain  Brink. 
Sir: 

Inclosed  is  the  number  of  voyages  which  is  intended  the  Boat  should  run  this  season.  You 
may  have  them  published  in  the  Albany  papers. 

As  she  is  strongly  manned  and  every  one  except  Jackson  under  your  command,  you  must 
insist  on  each  one  doing  his  duty  or  turn  him  on  shore  and  put  another  in  his  place.  Everything 
must  be  kept  in  order,  everything  in  its  place,  and  all  parts  of  the  Boat  scoured  and  clean.     It  is  not 

58 


sufficient  to  tell  men  to  do  a  thing  but  stand  over  them  and  make  them  do  it.  One  pair  of  quick 
and  good  eyes  is  worth  six  pairs  of  hands  in  a  commander.  If  the  Boat  is  dirty  or  out  of  order, 
the  fault  shall  be  yours.  Let  no  man  be  idle  when  there  is  the  least  thing  to  do.  and  make  them 
move  quick. 

Run  no  risques  of  any  kind  when  you  meet  or  overtake  vessels  beating  or  crossing  your  way. 
Always  run  under  their  stern  if  there  be  the  least  doubt  that  you  cannot  clear  their  head  by  50  yards 
or  more.     Give  in  the  accounts  of  Receipts  and  expenses  every  week  to  the  Chancellor. 

Your  most  obedient. 

ROBT.  FULTON. 


59 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Starred  titles  indicate  material  specially  useful  in  school  work 


Early  voyages  and  discovery 

Bacon,  E.  M.  English  Voyages  of  Adventure  and  Discovery,  Retold  from  Hakluyt 
401  p.  1908.    Scribner  $1.50. 

De  Costa,  B.  F.  Explorations  of  the  North  American  Coast  Previous  to  the  Voyage  of 
Henry  Hudson.  (See  Wilson,  J.  G.  ed.  Memorial  History  of  the  City  of  New  York. 
1892-93.  1:1-32) 

*Discovery  of  America.  Old  South  Work,  Boston.  5c.  (Old  South  Leaflets,  no.  29) 
*Fiske,  John.    Discovery  of  America.    2v.  1892.    Houghton  $4. 

*  Johnson,  W.  H.    The  World's  Discoverers  ;  the  Story  of  Bold  Voyages  by  Brave  Navi- 

gators  during  a  Thousand  Years.    416p.  1908.    Little  $1.50. 

Murphy,  H.  C.  Voyage  of  Verrazzano,  a  Chapter  in  the  Early  History  of  Maritime 
Discovery  in  America.     198p.  1875. 

Payne,  E.  J.     History  of  the  New  World  Called  America.    2v.  1892-99. 
Discovery  and  Early  Voyages,  v.  1.  ch.  1. 

*Verazzano,  John  de.  Voyage  along  the  Coast  of  North  America  from  Carolina  to 
Newfoundland,  A.  D.  1524,  tr.  fr.  the  original  by  J.  G.  Cogswell.  (See  New  York 
Historical  Society.    Collections,    ser.  2,  1:37-67  ;  also  Old  South  Leaflets,  no.  17) 

*  Voyages  of  the  Cabots.    Old  South  Work,  Boston.   5c.   (Old  South  Leaflets,  no.  37) 

*Voyages  to  Viniand.    Old  South  Work,  Boston.    5c.    (Old  South  Leaflets,  no.  31) 

Weise,  A.  J.    Discoveries  of  America  to  the  Year  1525.    380p.  1884.    Putnam  $4.50. 

*Winsor,  Justin.  Cartier  to  Frontenac  ;  Geographical  Discovery  in  the  Interior  of 
North  America  in  its  Historical  Relations,  1534-1700.    379p.  1894.    Houghton  $4. 

Relations  of  England  and  Holland  at  the  time 

Barker,  J.  E.     Rise  and  Decline  of  the  Netherlands.    478p.  1906.    Dutton  $3.50  net. 

The  whole  book  is  a  comparison  of  the  Netherlands  and  the  British  empire,  and  describes  both  their  political 
and  trade  relations  at  this  period. 

*Fiske,  John.    Dutch  and  Quaker  Colonies  in  America.    2v.  1900.    Houghton  $4. 

Discusses  the  relations  of  England  and  Holland  at  the  time  and  previous  to  the  settlement  of  New  Nether- 
land  in  v.  I,  ch.  1,2  and  9. 

*Gardiner,  S.  R.  Student's  History  of  England.  1030p.  New  ed.  1904.  Longmans 
$3.50. 

*Green,  J.  R.  Short  History  of  the  English  People.  782p.  Revised  ed.  1899.  Harper 
$1.20. 

Motley,  J.  L.    United  Netherlands.    4v.  1898.     Harper  $8. 

From  William  the  Silent  to  1609  ;  v.  4  gives  the  conditions  for  this  period. 
*Traill,  H.  D.  ed.    Social  England  ;  v.  4,  from  the  accession  of  James  I  to  the  death  of 

Anne.     1897.    Putnam  $3.50. 

Contains  chapter  on  exploration  and  colonization,  p.  51-67  ;  the  whole  volume  excellent  for  a  picture  of 
conditions  in  England. 

Van  Pelt,  Rev.  Daniel.  The  Antecedents  of  New  Netherland  and  the  Dutch  West 
India  Company.  (See  Wilson,  J.  G.  ed.  Memorial  History  of  the  City  of  New  York. 
1:55-108. 

60 


Henry  Hudson  and  the  exploration  of  the  Hudson  river 

Asher,  G.  M.  Henry  Hudson,  the  Navigator.  218  +292p.  1860.  (In  Hakluyt  Society 
Works.     1860,  v.  27) 

A  collection  of  the  chief  original  documents  in  which  Hudson's  career  is  recorded,  partly  translated  and 
annotated,  with  an  introduction  and  bibliography. 

*Bacon,  E.  M.  Henry  Hudson  :  His  Times  and  His  Voyages.  277p.  1907.  Putnam 
$1.35  net. 

Describes  adventures  during  four  voyages  and  estimates  explorer's  character  and  achievements.  Based  on 
contemporary  documents. 

Bardsen,  Ivar.  Sailing  Directions  of  Henry  Hudson  Prepared  for  his  Use  in  1608  :  from 
the  old  Danish,  with  an  introduction,  also  a  dissertation  on  the  discovery  of  the  Hudson 
river  by  B.  F.  De  Costa.     102p.  1869. 

Cleveland,  H.  R.  Life  of  Henry  Hudson.  {See  Sparks,  Jared,  ed.  Library  of  American 
Biography.    1834-48.    10:185-261.    Harper  $1.25) 

*Gordy,  W.  F.  Henry  Hudson.  (See  Gordy,  W.  F.  Stories  of  American  Explorers. 
1906,  p.  142-53.    Scribner  50c  net) 

*Griffis,  W.  E.    Romance  of  Discovery.    304p.  1897.    Wilde  $1.50. 

*Higginson,  T.  W.    Henry  Hudson  and  the  New  Netherlands.    {See  Higginson.  T.  W. 
Book  of  American  Explorers.     1907.    p.  279-307.    Longmans  $  1 .20  net) 
An  authentic  sketch  of  Hudson's  life,  particularly  interesting  to  children.  Illustrated. 

*  Janvier,  T.  A.  Henry  Hudson,  Navigator.  {See  Cosmopolitan.  Oct.  1903,  p.  603  ; 
Nov.  1903.  p.  90) 

Two  delightful  sketches  written  in  view  of  the  third  centenary  of  Hudson's  exploration  of  the  Hudson 
river. 

*Juet,  Robert.  Third  Voyage  of  Master  Henry  Hudson.  {See  Asher,  G.  M.  Henry 
Hudson,  the  Navigator.  1860.  p.  45-92  ;  also  New  York  Historical  Society.  Collec- 
tions. 1809.  1:102-46;  also  American  Scenic  and  Historic  Preservation  Society  Report. 
1906) 

Extract  of  Juet's  journal  in  Old  South  Leaflets,  no.  94. 

*Laut,  Agnes  C.    Henry  Hudson's  First,  Second,  Third  and  Fourth  Voyages.     {See  her 
CAiquest  of  the  Great  Northwest.     1908.     1:3-72.    Outing  2 v.  $5) 
Detailed,  carefully  written  account  based  on  authentic  sources. 

Murphy,  H.  C.  Henry  Hudson  in  Holland,  an  Inquiry  into  the  Origin  and  Objects  of  the 
Voyage  which  Led  to  the  Discovery  of  the  Hudson  River,  with  Bibliographical  Notes. 
72p.  1859. 

*Parton,  James.    Captain  Henry  Hudson.     {See  Parton,  James.     Colonial  Pioneers. 
1890.    p.  57-63.    Maynard,  paper,  1 2c) 
Brief  sketch  for  younger  readers. 

Purchas,  Samuel.  Hakluytus  Posthumus  ;  or.  Purchase  His  Pilgrimes.  Ed.  4.  5v. 
1625-26. 

Hudson's  third  voyage  [Juet's  journal]  3:581-95.  The  whole  is  the  basis  of  Asher's  "  Henry  Hudson,  the 
Navigator." 

Read,  J.  M.  jr.  Historical  Inquiry  Concerning  Henry  Hudson,  his  Friends.  Relatives  and 
Early  Life,  his  Connection  with  the  Muscovy  Company  and  Discovery  of  Delaware  Bay. 
209p.  1866. 

The  same,  abridged  and  edited  by  Edmond  Goldsmid.  (See  Clarendon  Society.  Reprints.  1 882-84 .  ser.  I, 
p.  143-230 

Wilson,  J.  G.  Henry  Hudson's  Voyage  and  its  Results  in  Trade  and  Colonization.  {See 
Wilson,  J.  G.  ed.  Memorial  History  of  the  C.ty  of  New  York.  1892-93.  1:108-51  ; 
also  in  National  Magazine,  Jan.  1892,  15:221-49) 

61 


Indians 


*Fiske,  John.    Discovery  of  America,  with  Some  Account  of  Ancient  America.   2v.  1892. 

v.  1,  ch.  1  is  a  history  and  description  of  the  Indians. 

Megapolensis,  Johannes.    Short  Sketch  of  the  Mohawk  Indians  in  New  Netherland.  .  . 

written  in  the  year   1644,  revised  with  an  introduction  and  notes  by  J.  R.  Brodhead. 

(New  York  Historical  Society.    Collections.     1857.    ser.  2,  3: 137-60) 
Morgan,  L.  H.    League  of  the  Iroquois  ;  new  edition,  annotated  by  H.  M.  Lloyd.     2v.  in 

1.  1904.    Dodd  $5  net. 

*New  York  (State) — Museum.    Aboriginal  Occupation  of  New  York.     190p.  1900 

(Museum  bulletin  32) 

*  History  of  the  New  York  Iroquois.     340p.     1905.     (Museum  bulletin  78) 

*  Myths  and  Legends  of  the  New  York  State  Iroquois,  by  H.  M.  Converse.     1  95p. 

1908.     (Museum  bulletin  125) 
Ruttenber,  E.  M.    History  of  the  Indian  Tribes  of  the  Hudson  River.  .  .  415p.  1872. 
 Native  Inhabitants  of  Manhattan  and  its  Indian  Antiquities.     {See  Wilson,  J.  G.  ed. 

Memorial  History  of  the  City  of  New  York.     1892.  1:33-55) 

Settlement  of  New  Netherland 

Sources 

*Donck,  Adriaen  Van  der.  Description  of  the  New  Netherlands.  Ed.  2.  1656.  {See 
New  York  Historical  Society.  Collections.  1841.  ser.  2,  1:129-242;  see  also  Old 
South  Leaflets,  no.  69) 

*Hart,  A.  B.  ed.  American  History  Told  by  Contemporaries;  v.  1,  1492-1689.  1897. 
Macmillan  $2. 

Source  material  of  early  explorations  and  the  settlement  of  New  Netherland. 
Heckewelder,  Rev.  John.    Indian  Tradition  of  the  First  Arrival  of  the  Dutch  at  Man- 
hattan Island,  now  New  York.     {See  New  York  Historical  Society.    Collections.  1841. 
ser.  2,  1:69-74) 

*Jameson,  J.  F.  ed.  Narratives  of  New  Netherland.  Maps,  facsim.  O.  1909. 
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"  About  a  score  of  narratives  reproducing  the  most  significant  passages  from  the  writings  of  contemporaneous 
historians  touching  the  beginnings  of  New  York  city."  Includes  most  of  the  entries  given  under  this  section 
— Sources. 

Laet,  John  de.  Extracts  from  the  New  World,  or  a  Description  of  the  West  Indies,  tr. 
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2,  1:282-316) 

Melyn,  Cornells,  anon.  Broad  Advice  to  the  United  Netherland  Provinces,  Made 
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New  York  (State)  —  Legislature.  Documents  Relative  to  the  Colonial  History  of  the 
State  of  New  York.     1 5v.    Albany  1853-87. 

v.  13  History  and  Settlements  of  the  Towns  along  the  Hudson  and  Mohawk  Rivers  ;  v.  12  Dutch  and 
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Rensselaerswyck  tr  and  ed.  by  A.J.  F.  van  Laer.    909p.    pi.  map.  O.    Albany  1908. 

62 


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3:1-136) 

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51.    3:25-63  ;   1850-51,  edition,  3:19-31) 

Later  material 

Brodhead,  J.  R.    History  of  the  State  of  New  York.    2v.  1853-71. 

De  Lancey,  E.  F.  Origin  and  History  of  Manors  in  the  Province  of  New  York  and  in 
the  County  of  Westchester.  160p.  New  York  1886.  (See  also  Scharf,  J.  T.  His' 
tory  of  Westchester  County.     1886.  1:31-160) 

*Fiske,  John.    Dutch  and  Quaker  Colonies  in  America.     2v.  1900. 
v  1  Dutch. 

Hildreth,  Richard.  History  of  the  United  States  of  America.  c  1 877.  1:136-49  and 
413-45. 

Covers  New  Netherland. 

O'Callaghan,  E.  B.  History  of  New  Netherlands  ;  or.  New  York  Under  the  Dutch. 
2v.  1846-48. 

^Roberts,  E.  H.  New  York  :  the  Planting  and  Growth  of  the  Empire  State.  2v.  1899. 
(American  Commonwealth  Ser.)     Houghton  $2.50. 

*Thwaites,  R.  G.  The  Colonies.  1492-  1750.  30  lp.  Ed.  3.  1897.  Longmans 
$1.25.     (Epochs  of  American  History) 

Hudson  river 

*Bacon,  E.  M.  The  Hudson  River,  from  Ocean  to  Source.  5 9 Op.  1907.  Putnam 
$3.50  net. 

Treats  of  its  history  and  legends  from  the  Battery  to  Troy.  Based  on  original  records,  some  not  hitherto 
published. 

*Buckman,  D.  L.  Old  Steamboat  Days  on  the  Hudson  River.  143p.  1907.  Grafton 
Press  $  1.25  net 

Tales  and  reminiscences  of  the  stirring  times  that  followed  the  introduction  of  steam  navigation. 

^Burroughs,  John.    Our  River.    (See  Scribner,  Aug.  1880,  20:481^93) 

An  illustrated  sketch  of  the  Hudson  from  a  naturalist's  point  of  view. 
*Curtis,  G.  W.    The  Hudson  and  the  Rhine.     (See  his  Lotus-Eating.    185?.    p.  11-27) 

*Drake,  J.  R.  The  Culprit  Fay.  (See  Warner's  Library  of  the  World's  Best  Litera- 
ture.    3:4854-862  ;  also  Stedman,  E.  C.    American  Anthology,  p.  42-45) 

Hine,  C.  G.  The  West  Bank  of  the  Hudson  River,  Albany  to  Tappan  ;  notes  on  its 
history  and  legends,  its  ghost  stories  and  romances.  Gathered  by  a  wayfaring  man  who 
may  now  and  then  have  erred  therein.     1  74p.  1907.     (Hine's  Annual,  1906) 

*Ingersoll,  Ernest,  COtnp.    Rand.  McNally  6-  Co.'s  Illustrated  Guide  to  the  Hudson 

River  and  Catskill  Mountains.     Ed.  9.     1901.     paper  25c. 

Contains  more  than  mere  guidebook  information. 
*Irving,  Washington.    Dolph  Heyliger.     (Sec  Bracebridge  Hall.    Author's  revised  ed. 
1849.    p.  395-469) 

Legend  of  the  storm  ship  is  included  in  "  Dolph  Heyliger.' 

*  The  Legend  of  Sleepy  Hollow.     (See  his  Sketch  Book.    Student's  ed.  p.  474) 

*  Rip  Van  Winkle.     (See  his  Sketch  Book.     Student's  ed.  p.  50) 

63 


*Longfellow,  H.  W.  comp.     Hudson  River.     {See  his  Poems  of  Places  :  America, 

Middle  States.     1879.    p.  97-113     Houghton  $1) 
Lossing,  B.  J.    The  Hudson  from  the  Wilderness  to  the  Sea.    464p.     1866.  Virtue 

$2.70. 

*  Skinner,  C.  M.    The  Hudson  and  its  Hills.     {See  his  Myths  and  Legends  of  Our  Own 

Land.    Ed.  8.     1896.     1:17-107.    Lippincott,  2 v.  $3) 
*Ver  Planck,  W.  E.  &  Collyer,  M.  W.     The  Sloops  of  the  Hudson.     171p.  1908. 

Putnam  $1.50  net. 

"  An  historical  sketch  of  the  packet  and  market  sloops  of  the  last  century  .  .  .  together  with  personal 
reminiscences  of    .    .    .    notable  North  river  sailing  masters." 

Steam  navigation 

*Abbot,  W.  J.    American  Merchant  Ships  and  Sailors.    372p.     1902.    Dodd  $2  net. 

Bullock,  C.  S.    The  Anniversary  of  American  Commerce,  1807' 1907.     {See  Journal 
of  American  History,  1907.    v.  1,  no.  3,  p.  395-433) 

Fry,  Henry.     (The)  History  of  North  Atlantic  Steam  Navigation,  with  Some  Account  of 
Early  Ships  and  Ship  Owners.    324p.     1896.    Scribner  $2.50. 

*Livingston,  Robert.    Invention  of  the  Steamboat.     16p.     1812.    (Old  South  Leaflets, 
no.  108)    Old  South  Work,  Boston.  5c. 

*Mowry,  W.  A.    American  Inventions  and  Inventors.    298p.     1900.    Silver  65c  net. 

Ch.  4  and  5  sketch  the  history  of  the  Clermont.     Written  for  children. 

Preble,  G.  H.    A  Chronological  History  of  the  Origin  and  Development  of  Steam  Navi- 
gat.on,  1543-1882.    483p.  1883. 

*Routledge,  Robert.    Steam  Navigation  and  American  Steamboats.      {See  his  Dis- 
coveries and  Inventions  of  the  19th  Century,  1900.     p.  129-48)     Routledge  $2.50. 

Woodcroft,  Bennet.    Sketch  of  the  Origin  and  Progress  of  Steam  Navigation.  140p. 
1848. 

Robert  Fulton 
Colden,  CD.    Life  of  Fulton.    3  7 1  p.  1817. 

Fulton  Memorial  Number  of  the  Journal  of  American  History.     1907.    v.  1,  no.  3. 
July,  Aug.,  Sept. 

*Hale,  E.  E.    Robert  Fulton.    {See  Stories  of  Invention.     1900.    p.  172-92.    Little  $1) 

Excellent  brief  sketch  for  younger  readers. 

♦Hubert,  P.  G.  jr.    Robert  Fulton.    {See  Inventors.     1898.   p.  45-68.    Scribner  $1.50) 

*Knox,  T.  W.    Life  of  Robert  Fulton  and  a  History  of  Steam  Navigation.    507p.  1896. 
(Boys'  and  Girls'  Library  of  American  Biog.  v.  1)     Putnam  $1.75. 
Brief  life  of  Fulton  and  a  nontechnical  account  of  the  development  of  steam  navigation. 

*Miller,  P.  F.    Story  of  Robert  Fulton.     1  13p.     1908.    Knickerbocker  Press  $1. 
Written  from  some  new  material. 

♦Morrison,  J.  H.    Robert  Fulton  and  the  Side-wheel  Steamer.     {See  Scientific  American 

Sup.  Mar.  2,  1907,  64:282) 
Reigart,  J.  F.    Life  of  Fulton.    297p.  1856. 

Renwick,  James.    Life  of  Robert  Fulton.    {See  Sparks,  Jared,  ed.    Library  of  American 

Biography.     1834-48,  10:1-89) 
Sutcliffe,  A.  C.    Early  Life  of  Robert  Fulton.     {See  Century,  Sept.  1908,  76:780-94) 
*Thurston,  R.  H.    Robert  Fulton,  his  Life  and  its  Results.     194p.     1891.    Dodd  75c. 

A  short  biography,  with  a  sketch  of  the  development  of  the  steam  engine  and  steam  navigation. 

  64 

J.  B.  LYON  COMPANY,  STATE  PRINTERS 
ALBANY,  N.  Y. 


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